Retirement Insights -- Nearing Retirement? Get with The Program!

By Karen Gilgoff

When you retire from your job, you won’t have to retire from the union. AFSCME created the Retiree Program to keep you actively involved.

AFSCME’s commitment to retired members is reflected in the steady growth of this program, which was founded in 1980 and is currently over 200,000 strong. Members are organized in 36 chapters around the country (generally corresponding to AFSCME councils and large unaffiliated locals), and meet regularly in nearly 250 subchapters.

AFSCME retiree chapters unite their members around common concerns. Together, the members fight for adequate cost-of-living adjustments on pensions, comprehensive employer-paid health benefits (including spouse and survivor coverage) and retiree representation on pension-fund boards. On the national level, current priorities include protecting and strengthening Social Security, reforming the Government Pension Offset and adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.

Over the years, AFSCME retirees have won lots of victories at the local, state and national level. The union’s strength is your security. So if you’re an AFSCME member nearing retirement, we urge you to stick with the AFSCME family by joining an affil-iated retiree chapter.

With retiree membership, you’ll continue to receive Public Employee magazine as well as PrimeTIME, our retiree newsletter. You’ll also be eligible for AFSCME Advantage benefits, including the union’s MasterCard. (In retirement, you must remain an AFSCME member or retiree in order to keep the card).

A complete list of AFSCME retiree chapters can be found on the internet (all are "retiree chapters" unless otherwise noted). If there is no chapter listed for your area, contact the AFSCME Retiree Program, 1625 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-5687.