Local Members And Retirees Prove Invaluable To Each Other

CWA retirees are anything but, well, retiring. And that's great news for locals. Many of them count on retirees to turn out for rallies, lend a hand with political campaigns and fight hard for workers' rights as well as seniors' issues.

"We have some of the most active, eager, energetic retirees in the labor movement and they are an absolutely vital part of our union," CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling said. "Be it prescription drugs or Social Security, we are 100 percent committed to standing up for them and they are just as committed to helping us."

Easterling is urging locals that don't have retiree chapters to get started building them. For some incentive, take a look at how three retiree chapters have been an essential part of their locals:

Local 4603
Since being organized by 18 activists in 1990, Local 4603's Retired Members' Chapter in Milwaukee, Wis., has grown to 378 members.

"The local shows retirees the same respect they do active members," chapter President Julian Modjeski said. "We are all equal."

The retirees, who recently helped found the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, have been an essential part of job actions in Milwaukee. For instance, they rallied in front of the downtown SBC building when the last contract expired and walked the picket lines during the four-day strike that followed.

Retirees also joined an informational picket at the Journal Sentinel during bargaining for printers represented by the local and during the 2004 political season, they rallied, helped with phone banks and went door to door for worker-friendly candidates.

Wiretap, Local 4603's newsletter, features at least one article a month by chapter Secretary-Treasurer Bonnie Murphy, who says she receives as many comments and questions from active members as from retirees. The local's website has a page dedicated to the retiree chapter.

"Everybody benefits from having the retiree chapter," Local 4603 President George Walls said. "We work hard for them and they work hard for us."

AFA-CWA Local 29011
In 2004, United Airlines broke a promise to pay the health care costs of flight attendants who had retired by mid-2003. Angry retirees from Local 29011 in San Francisco quickly fought back by organizing a Retired Members' Chapter that has grown to 333 members.

Chapter members leaflet, picket and lobby, and the anti-union, anti-retiree stance of bankrupt United Airlines has given them plenty of reasons to keep busy. "The chapter is a dynamic organization," Local 29011 President Terry Sousoures said. "For example, when I asked the chapter president if she can fill a room for a hearing, she immediately responded, "How big is the room?"

A network of computer-savvy retirees helps keep other members up to date on news and events, and a page on the local's website also provides timely information.

Among their efforts, retiree chapter officers testified before the California State Assembly last July to support a moratorium on corporate defaults of defined benefit pensions. Last May, RMC Treasurer Cicina Norton attended United's bankruptcy hearings in Chicago. The same month, retirees joined local members for rallies at San Francisco International Airport to support the International Association of Machinists in their negotiations.

"Our retirement years give many of us a great sense of freedom and time to pursue political and social issues near to our hearts," chapter President Georgia Nielsen said. "Our retirement era is a time to stand up and speak out — our unions need us and we need to rise to the occasion."

Local 1180
Local 1180 in New York City boasts one of CWA's oldest, continuous retiree groups. It started as a club in the mid-1970s, well before the union officially chartered its Retired Members' Chapters in June 1981. Today, the chapter has more than 1,500 members who regularly exercise their power in numbers.

For instance, in December 2004, the city warned its unions — including CWA Locals 1180, 1181, 1182 and 1183 — that it intended to end a prescription drug program for medications that treat chronic conditions including cancer, Hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, depression, and AIDS. The efforts of retirees intensified the members' fight, and the city and union reached a compromise that continues to fund many of the important drugs.

In the fall of 2005, the local and chapter worked together in support of Democrat Fernando Ferrer's bid for mayor of New York.

The chapter works closely with other New York City union and retiree groups. Chapter President Adele Rogers is on the executive board of the New York City Alliance for Retired Americans.

Local 1180 President Arthur Cheliotes summed up the value of retirees this way: "You retire from the job, you never retire from the union."