Join the Retirees’ Council — For Life

To help retired members stay connected to CWA, and to harness their energy for protecting key retiree issues — pensions, health care, Social Security and Medicare — CWA is now offering a Lifetime Membership in the Retired Members' Council for a one-time payment of $25.

The Executive Board created the lifetime Council memberships in response to CWA's Ready for the Future convention resolution calling for doubling the number of Council members to 50,000 by 2009. Previously, Council membership required payment of annual fees.

"We must do a better job of realizing the tremendous potential that CWA retirees can play in our employer and legislative campaigns to maintain and protect the hard-won benefits we all count on when we retire," said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling.

Under the program, the 20,000 current members of CWA local retiree chapters will automatically be enrolled in the program. In February, CWA mailed a Lifetime Council membership brochure and application to 128,000 retirees not currently belonging to local chapters.

To become a lifetime Council member, retirees can join directly online at a new website — www.CWAretirees.com. On the website, retirees will find information about the activities of the Retired Members' Council as well as money-saving discount programs available to Council members through the CWA Union Privilege program.