Retiree Program: 200,000 Members and Growing
By Clyde Weiss
At a time when the labor movement faces the loss of millions of union members through retirement, AFSCME stands out as a union that is organizing and retaining them as members. This year, in fact, our Retiree Program has reached a milestone: our 200,000th member.
"You've become a vibrant organization, with local and state groups across the country," Pres. Gerald W. McEntee told AFSCME's Retiree Council at its 20th annual meeting, held the weekend before the Convention began. The council is comprised of representatives of the union's 35 retiree chapters.
"Wherever you come from, it's likely you helped build the union in your state or locality," said McEntee. "Your longtime activism, your strong support for the union and your historical perspective make you extremely valuable to this AFSCME family."
Just how valuable was explained by Sec.-Treas. Bill Lucy: "In Congress, the very first vote next year will be for Speaker [of the House of Representatives]. This will be determined by the number of members in each party, so the Democrats must increase their numbers in November.
"We've got to pull out all the stops, because so much is at stake for us institutionally and individually."
An equally critical challenge for unions, in general, is the need to hang on to people who are about to leave the workforce, Bob Welsh, executive assistant to AFL-CIO Pres. John Sweeney, told the council. "We are on the dawn of a tidal wave of retirements in the labor movement," Welsh said, "Of the 14 million working union members in the United States, about 250,000 of them retired last year," a number that will escalate to a half-million annually within five to six years. "In certain unions," he noted, "this is going to be a dramatic change."
AFSCME's retirement program, with its 200,000 members, "is really a tribute to the farsightedness of your union," Welsh said. "There are so many activists in our union" who can be an important resource once they retire.
Consequently, he said, in January the AFL-CIO will launch a new organization, the Alliance for Retired Americans, which will encompass members of existing retiree groups and have a charter membership of 1.5 million. For AFSCME, this means that all members of the Retiree Program will be members of the alliance without paying additional dues. AFSCME's Convention delegates passed a resolution endorsing the new organization.
Welsh said the alliance would not compete with AFSCME's retiree program. Instead, he said, "We want to have an organization that works in partnership" to become a national voice for retirees — even those who are not union members but who share labor's working-family agenda.
One person who does share that agenda — and who holds the distinction of being the 200,000th member of AFSCME's Retiree Council, is Patt Shaw of Illinois Retiree Chapter 31, who was honored at the Convention. A correctional lieutenant at the East Moline Correctional Center, Shaw retired April 30 after a 19-year career. But she is not abandoning her union affiliation.
In other business, Retiree Council members discussed chapter activities, including organizing and political action, and received a briefing on the November elections and on legislation in Congress to provide prescription drug benefits. They also listened closely as Lisa Maatz, public policy director of the Older Women's League, explained why aging is, for women, "very different than for men," particularly on financial matters.
The council elected a new chairwoman, Doris Clark, president of Illinois Retiree Chapter 31. Also elected: as vice chairman, Gary Tavormina, president of New York Retiree Chapter 82; and as secretary, Maggie Blanch, president of Pennsylvania Retiree Chapter 13.
Be It Resolved
Labor's Vital Interest in Organizing Union Retirees: encourages the AFL-CIO to develop programs for union retirees, and pledges AFSCME support and assistance to other unions building retiree organizations.
Defending Defined-Benefit Pension Plans: stresses the dangers of defined-contribution pension plans and instructs AFSCME to safeguard public employees' retirement income.
Maintain Social Security Benefits: commits AFSCME to protect workers who have contributed to the system.
