Public Employee Press

Retiree education conference addresses threats to pensions

The 3rd Annual Education Conference of the DC 37 Retirees Association focused on the nationwide threat to retirement security. Four hundred activists turned out April 8 for the meeting at DC 37, where speakers discussed the effort to roll back pension, health and other benefits built up over generations of struggle.

“The prime issue facing retirees is the battle in Washington over Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid,” said Stuart Leibowitz, president of the association. “Our goal is to protect our benefits and to ensure that those benefits will be there for active workers when they retire.”

The morning session focused on national issues. In the afternoon, retirees participated in panels on state and local matters and DC 37 benefits. The keynote speaker was Lee Saunders, assistant to Gerald W. McEntee, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, DC 37’s parent union.

He stressed the importance of state-level political action while right-wing interests control all three branches of the federal government. He delivered a warning about the threat to traditional pensions and noted that Alaska and Florida have already begun to replace state employees’ defined-benefit pensions with 401(k)-like individual investment accounts with no guarantees.

“The Democrats have to win back one or both houses of Congress,” said Steve Regenstrief, AFSCME retiree director.

Other speakers included Congress members Jerrold L. Nadler and Gregory W. Meeks, City Council Civil Service Chair Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., and Ed Ott, director of public policy at the New York City Central Labor Council.