Retiree Power!
Making it Plain | Speaking to members at the 2009 Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.
Photo Credit: Luis Gómez
Message from the Secretary-Treasurer
By William Lucy
FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, our retirees program has made contributions to retirees and all union members. From protecting and improving pensions and health care benefits to preventing the privatization of Social Security, this group has worked hard and made a difference. It’s not an accident that the program is the largest public-sector retiree organization in America. In fact, it’s the fastest growing retiree group in the entire labor movement!
Organize, Organize, Organize
Retirees built AFSCME affiliates when they were in the workforce. Today, they are building chapters across the country — chapters that are some of the most active and fastest growing segments of our union. In the last decade, the group has tripled in membership, signing up 10,000 new dues-paying members a year. As a result, retirees have grown from 60,000 to 230,000.
And the growth is everywhere. Recently, there was a founding convention for our 40th retiree chapter, comprised of retired police officers from Connecticut Council 15. In Texas, our retiree organizing committee signed up almost 3,000 state government retirees and is on the way to establishing a state-wide chapter. We’re also organizing groups in Sun Belt states such as Florida and North Carolina — the retirement homes of many AFSCME members who worked in other parts of the country.
Legislation Doesn’t Just Happen
Over the years, retirees’ experience in AFSCME affiliates has taught them that if you want change you’ve got to get active. Therefore, they’re no strangers to lobbying Congress and state legislatures, making numerous calls and visits to lawmakers, as well as attending rallies and town hall meetings.
Whether it’s New York Retiree Chapters 37, 82 and 1000 working with councils and locals to establish a permanent, annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on public pensions or Ohio Chapter 1184 successfully lobbying for a guaranteed 3 percent annual pension adjustment for every pensioner, AFSCME retirees have saved the day time after time when it comes to protecting and improving retirement benefits.
On the federal level, retirees are deeply committed to the union’s priorities and are currently lobbying for health care reform and passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Participation Matters
Working hard and working together, AFSCME retiree chapters are always on the frontlines when it comes to politics. In the last year, thousands helped union-endorsed candidates by volunteering for AFSCME’s get out the vote activities.
From phone banking to envelope stuffing, retirees’ efforts were instrumental in electing a President who supports unions and believes Social Security and Medicare should be protected. In fact, President Obama’s vote margin among union retirees was greater than his margin among any other group of union members.
Looking Ahead
These successes benefit the retirees of today and tomorrow. Currently, more than 80 percent of AFSCME’s members are over 40. Within the next 10 years, retiring Baby Boomers will more than double the size of the senior citizen population.
The future of the labor movement is built on the firm foundation of the past. When we say AFSCME is 1.6 million strong, that figure combines the numbers and strength of working members and retiree members. By joining the AFSCME Retirees program at retirement, we can protect ourselves and contribute to the future of AFSCME. For more information about joining a chapter, go to the Retirees section of afscme.org or write to: AFSCME Retirees, 1625 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.
