OR NOT!



























































Hope to see you Next Year!
See

When: Saturday December 3
6:00pm – 11:00pm
Where: Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro
733 W. Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Buffet Dinner w/ 2 free drink tickets 8pm sharp
DJ Woo Entertainment
Guest Appearance:
DJ Sundance of Soul 106.3
Comedian Teresa Sykes
(Church Lady in Almost Christmas)
Performance: Iris T London
Raffles and Prizes
Cost: Union Member -$15.00
Union Member + One Guest -$40
*Hotel Discounts Available (code available)


Holiday Joy!
AFGE Local 1395 held its Tri-Annual election on Thursday July 28, 2016.
The following were elected:
President (1)
Agatha Joseph
Executive Vice-President (1)
Cheryl Bellamy-Bonner
Vice-President at Large (3)
Monica Harris
Eddie T Smith
Vacant
Vice-President for D.O. (3)
Mario Connie
Patricia Hayes
Yesenia Navarro
Vice-President for OQP (3)
Todd Madsen
Evelyn Nesteruk
Sonia Samson
Vice-President for P.S.C. (3)
Gregory A. Cole
Sean Shideler
Richard Sorokas
Vice-President for ODAR (3)
Karen Clelland
Gerald Francis (Frank) Cavanagh
Vacant
Administrative Director for P.S.C. (1)
Holly Justine James
Administrative Director for D.O. (1)
Charlotte Lewis
Administrative Director of OQP (1)
Earl Tucker
Administrative Director of ODAR (1)
Gregory Senden
Treasurer (1)
Deborah Flynn
Financial Secretary (1)
Monwella Foster
Office Manager (1)
Marie Robinson
Recording Secretary (1)
Catherine A Mulligan
Correspondence Secretary (1)
Patricia Washington
Sergeant at Arms (1)
Janice Antonio
Executive Board Member for ODAR (2)
Shirley Evans
Donald Terry Jr
Executive Board Member for P.S.C. (2)
Angela Barnhart
Executive Board Member of OQP (2)
Archester Neal
Ke Juan Stroud
Executive Board Member for D.O. (2)
Kimberly Ponder-Chism
Vanessa McCollum
Council Delegate for P.S.C. (1)
Monica Harris
Council Delegate for D.O. (3)
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Washington
Kimberly Ponder-Chism
Council Delegate for OQP (1)
Earl Tucker
Council Delegate for ODAR (1) **
Delegates and Alternates to the National Convention & 7th District Caucus
Patricia Washington
Patricia Hayes
Kimberly Ponder-Chism
Gregory Cole
Archester Neal
Monica Harris
Monwella Foster
**Local President -Automatic delegate by virtue of office.
Federal employees and retirees will pay 6.2% more on average for health insurance premiums next year. This unacceptably high increase will hit millions of Americans in the pocketbook, making coverage less and less affordable and will cause many to drop coverage.
“Like most other Americans, federal employees and retirees have seen their standard of living decline due to stagnant incomes and cost increases for basic goods and services,” AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. said. “This is an unacceptably high increase that will force many families to make difficult decisions about how to pay their bills.”
While employees enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will pay 6.2% more for their insurance premiums starting in January, the government’s share of those premiums will increase just 3.7%, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
For more information see
Voting has already started in a scattering of locations.
Here’s when early voting begins in a few states.
Illinois — Sept. 29 to Nov. 7. Starting Sept. 29, voters can only cast their ballots at their local election authority or a temporary location, but early voting expands to permanent polling places starting Oct. 24.
Indiana — Oct. 12. Early voting starts at the local county election board office or another designated location, but with an excuse, voters can cast a ballot by mail.
Michigan — There is no early voting in Michigan, as voters require a state-approved excuse to vote absentee.
Minnesota — Sept. 23
Ohio — Oct. 12.
Wisconsin — Early voting opening dates are set by the county/municipality. Wisconsin Rapids began voting Sept. 19.
Link to Complete List: Early Voting by State - 2016
Use link below for details:
Judge blocks Election Day registration at Illinois polling places
There’s just a week left until the 2016 government funding runs out on Sept. 30. Members of Congress are racing against the clock to come up with a funding package to avoid a government shutdown.
Will they succeed? What does it mean to you as a federal employee? Here’s what we know:
Nobody wants a government shutdown. Congress is working to pass a short-term funding bill known as Continuing Resolution (CR), which would fund government agencies at the current funding levels through Dec. 9. After that, Congress will need to come up with another spending bill again to prevent a shutdown.
A CR keeps the government running at the same level of funding regardless of new needs and workload. That means it will be difficult to get more funding for important medical research, for example, or to hire more people to screen air travelers or keep our skies safe.
President Obama requested a 1.6 percent pay raise in 2017 for both military personnel and civilian employees. If Congress does nothing, federal employees will likely get that amount. But whether Congress does nothing or not depends on who wins the election. Members of Congress have the final say on your pay. So your 1.6 percent raise is still up in the air.
Stay tuned for more information on the government funding tick tock. Visit www.afge.org for news and updates on other key issues important to federal employees.
Not a member yet? Join AFGE today and be a part of the movement that fights for your voice at work and fair compensation.

To register to vote, you must:
ILLINOIS REGISTRATION DEADLINES:
Registration is open year around except during the 27 day period prior to an election and during the 2 day period after each election (1 day after in Chicago).
VOTER REGISTRATION LINKS:
In order to be eligible to register to vote, you must:
• be a citizen of the United States,
• be at least 18 years old on the day of the next general, municipal, or special election,
• have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days before the next general, municipal, or special election (except for certain military voters); and
• not currently be imprisoned after being convicted of a crime.
In order to register online, you must also possess a current and valid Indiana driver's license or Indiana State identification card. The State of Indiana will use your digitized signature on-file with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles as your voter registration signature. Only the voter registration information you provide and your digitized signature will be sent to your county voter registration office upon concluding the online voter registration application process.
INDIANA REGISTRATION DEADLINES:
Registration is open all year throughout the County except during the 27 days preceding an election and reopens the second day following an election.
Under federal law, citizens may apply to register to vote by mailing in an application. When you register by mail your mail-in form must be postmarked prior to the close of registration. In addition, a person must vote for the first time in person and may not vote by mail, unless the person first provides sufficient proof of identity and the County Clerk verifies the person's proof of identity.
LINK: Indiana Voters
You must be:
You can vote while under guardianship unless a judge specifically has revoked your right to vote.
You cannot vote if a court has ruled that you are legally incompetent.
Minnesota Registration Deadline:
Link: Voting in Minnesota
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:
You are eligible to vote in elections held in your voting precinct 30 days after you are duly registered to vote in this state. You may request an absentee ballot during that 30 day period.
Link: Voting In Ohio
Election Date: November 8, 2016
Registration Deadline: October 11, 2016
To register to vote in Michigan you must be:
• A resident of Michigan and the city or township where you are applying to register to vote.
• A citizen of the United States of America.
• At least 18 years of age (by election day).
• Not serving a sentence in jail or prison.
Must register 30 days before election to vote in that election.
Link: Voting in Michigan