Retirement Insights -- AFSCME Retiree Chapters: Growing Strong
The AFSCME Retiree Program continues to experience phenomenal growth. When the program started, back in 1980, there were 13,000 founding members. Today, there are over 190,000 members — the largest organization of public retirees in the nation.
The Retiree Program has grown because of an effective two-part organizing strategy. The first part is the creation of new retiree chapters each year, so that, eventually, there will be chapters in every AFSCME council, all across the country. The second part is building the membership in our retiree chapters in order to give them a sound financial base and the ability to conduct important grassroots activities.
Strong AFSCME retiree chapters are critical to AFSCME efforts to protect and improve our members’ retirement benefits. On some benefit issues, retiree chapters work on behalf of current retirees. A good example is the recent lawsuit that was successfully brought against Washington state by AFSCME Retiree Chapter 10 (the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington), which claimed the state had overcharged retirees for their health plan premiums. As a result of Chapter 10’s efforts, the overcharged retirees will split a settlement of nearly $42 million.
AFSCME retiree chapters also fight for future retirees. Last year, the members of Illinois Retiree Chapter 31 mounted a campaign to improve the pension formula for working members who participate in the Illinois State Retirement System. They wrote letters to their state legislators, held rallies in legislative districts, and lobbied their lawmakers at the state capitol. In the end, they helped AFSCME Council 31 win a big victory that will result in a 50 percent average increase in future pensions.
NEW ADDITIONS. What succeeds in Washington state and Illinois can succeed anywhere that AFSCME has retired members. That’s why AFSCME recently chartered State of Nevada Employees Association/Nevada Chapter 4041, which held its founding convention in November. Chapter 4041 is AFSCME’s 33rd retiree chapter; additional chapters are currently being organized in Alaska and New Mexico.
Once a retiree chapter is formed, its elected leaders concentrate on building the group’s size and strength. Over the last year, several AFSCME chapters have had great success in recruiting new retiree members. New York/Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 1000, for example, structured an organizing drive around the need for a permanent, annual cost-of-living adjustment on state pensions. Activities included mailings to state pensioners, a postcard campaign to legislators, and a rally in Albany.
The CSEA drive recruited over 7,000 members for Retiree Chapter 1000, making it the most successful organizing project in the history of the AFSCME Retiree Program.
Other recent drives have brought thousands of new members to Connecticut Chapter 4, Washington Chapter 10, Rhode Island Chapter 94, New York Chapter 1707, Illinois Chapter 31 and New England Chapter 93.
Retirees Get Political
In the weeks before Nov. 3, AFSCME retirees participated in dozens of election campaigns across the country. They staffed AFSCME phone banks, distributed leaflets for Labor '98, and helped bring voters to the polls as volunteers for Operation Big Vote. In many congressional districts, they also distributed the National Council of Senior Citizens Voter's Guide and appeared at NCSC news conferences that endorsed candidates with strong pro-senior records.
One of the many candidates who appreciates the support of AFSCME retirees is Tammy Baldwin, U.S. representative-elect from the 2nd District of Wisconsin. "I want to thank you for all your help," she told retirees at one of her post-election appearances — addressing the annual convention of Retiree Chapter 7 in Madison. She promised that protecting Social Security and Medicare will be top priorities on he congressional agenda.
