Public Employee Press

Retiree conference focuses on political action

The challenge of protecting retirement benefits was on the minds of the hundreds of activists who attended the DC 37 Retirees Association’s sixth annual education conference on April 25.

“As retired public employees, our benefits derive from the political process,” said Stuart Leibowitz, the association’s president. “We have to be vigilant about protecting our benefits because whatever we have won can be reduced or taken away for political reasons.”

The conference speakers constituted a virtual “who’s who” of key players in local, state and national politics. They included U.S. Congress members Jerrold L. Nadler, Anthony D. Weiner and Yvette D. Clarke, and State Senate Civil Service Committee Chair Diane Savino, a former member of Local 371.

Other speakers included Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council members John C. Liu, Eric Gioia, Bill de Blasio and Leroy Comrie, the council’s deputy majority leader.

The theme of the conference, coordinated by Executive Vice President Audrey E. Iszard, was, “Leading the Way in the Fight for All Retirees.” Officers Rochelle Mangual, Louis Albano and Mary Livingston moderated panels.

Dorothy Wolfe, director the city’s employee benefits program, represented the Bloomberg administration. DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray spoke on behalf of Executive Director Lillian Roberts, and Political Action Director Wanda Williams expressed appreciation to the retirees for their dedication to promoting the union’s agenda.

Representing DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, were Steven Regenstreif, head of AFSCME’s retiree program, and Chuck Lovelace, legislative director.

“With the election of Barack Obama and strong majorities in the House and Senate, we have an extraordinary opportunity to accomplish things,” Lovelace said.

A priority of the union is to make sure that the Obama administration includes a strong government plan in its health-care reform proposal, Lovelace said.

Ed Ott, executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council, called national health care labor’s most important coming battle.