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Retired Members
Claiming
If you were born in 1945 you would be 57 years old this year and eligible for retirement. Studies have shown that within the next 10 years, millions of others like you throughout the country will make the decision to leave the work force to a life hopefully filled with leisure, good health, and enjoyment. In some cases Americans are adequately protected through their retirement years because of a combination of good luck, good financial planning, and good health care. A majority of others, however, are not only ill prepared for retirement, but encounter a multitude of problems they never even considered. In light of these issues, SEIU Local 535 is embarking on a new organizing campaign aimed at identifying, attracting, and activating retired members statewide. We are participating with other locals in the SEIU State Council’s effort to implement retired members’ program goals as part of SEIU’s New Strength Unity Program. New attention is being directed to retirees nationwide, throughout SEIU. In California, there are currently 12 unions engaged in developing retired member programs. The most notable is Local 660 in Los Angeles County where the membership has grown to 7,000 over a period of 20 years! Local 535 is relatively new in the quest to organize retired members. Having begun in 1993, retired members’ activity has been steady, but uninspired. Last year, a hard-core group of retired activists “put their arms around” the issue, and the local provided very substantial support by funding three part-time retired member organizers. Also, funding for program activity was provided as part of the 535 New Strength Unity Plan. While one retired member organizer has been active in the Bay Area for the past 18 months, the two other positions, covering central and southern California, have yet to be filled. A Retired Member Program Planning Committee will begin work this year. The focus of the planning group is to outline an action plan to attract and hold retired membership. If done right, a new level of activity will be developed which will challenge the resources and imagination of the local. The impetus for this activity has existed for some time. SEIU is part of a larger national effort by the AFL-CIO, which has taken a renewed interest in retired Americans, particularly retired union members. The National Council of Senior Citizens recently reconfigured itself into the Alliance of Retired Americans with direct organizational and financial ties to the AFL-CIO. In effect, the ARA is the retired member arm of the AFL-CIO. The national strategy is based on the fact that within the next 10 years there will be a major demographic shift in the nation as baby boomers reach retirement age. This will force attention on our aging population and all its attendant problems around issues such as health, Medicare, financial stability, Social Security, housing, long-term care, and quality of life. SEIU is the largest union within the AFL-CIO, with a membership of 1.5 million in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. In California, Local 535 has 26,000 working members, but a very small Retired Members Chapter. The challenges facing most working stiff retirees are complicated, according to the California Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), because the average retirement benefit received by most PERS retirees is $1,900 per month. Now that’s pretty good if you live in Indiana, have no debt, have stable housing, and are healthy as a horse, or have an excellent health insurance policy. When you get to the point of relying on federal Medicare and state Medi-Cal health programs, you’re in trouble! These are among the many reasons for organizing retired members in Local 535. You will be invited to join the Retired Members Chapter when you retire. You will hear from us again. Arise and build! If you would like more information about the Retired Members Chapter please send your name and address to: Retired Members Chapter, SEIU Local 535, 661 27th Street, Oakland, CA.94612. |
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