Public Employee Press

Fighting for a secure retirement

MEETING in Los Angeles last month, AFSCME retirees from across the country - including a delegation from DC 37 - received a briefing about the severity of the attacks on the public sector.

Union leaders stressed that retirees - with their many years of experience in political trench warfare - are crucial in the union's campaigns to protect pensions, stop privatization, and elect pro-labor political leaders, including President Obama, who expects to be outspent by the Republican candidate Mitt Romney and will depend on union and retiree "people power" to win re-election in November.

"I have never seen such vicious attacks before," AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders told participants at the June 16-17 AFSCME Retirees Council annual meeting. Day s later, Saunders was elected president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (see 'AFSCME elects fighting new leaders').

"When I travel the country, I see retirees working hard for the union, offering their blood, sweat and tears," Saunders said. "Our members should never forget your sacrifices. I am here to ask you again to stand up and fight for our pensions, Social Security and health care."

President Stuart Leibowitz, Executive Vice President Audrey Iszard and Recording Secretary Rochelle Mangual of the DC 37 Retirees Association were delegates at the meeting. Leibowitz told participants how AFSCME has helped the association grow to 27,000 members - a formidable grassroots army - and recently helped recruit 1,400 new members.

"We stress to our younger brothers and sisters that they are protecting their own retirement security when they support retirees on issues such as health care and pensions," he said. "That's why I like to call them 'retirees in training.' "

Gary Tavormina, a New York Council 82 retiree, was elected chair of the Retirees Council. "You have heard many times that this is the most important election of your lifetime," he said. "Unfortunately, this time I think it's true."