November-December 2009 Retiree Notes

November 16, 2009

State budget woes hitting retirees hard; AFSCME fights dental premiums

AFSCME has filed a grievance against the state of Illinois’ unilateral imposition of premiums for dental benefits for retirees. The grievance went to an impartial arbitrator, with the hearing held on Nov. 4.

Ida Calloway, the interim president of the newly organized Southern Cook County Sub-chapter 163, said she was glad to see AFSCME’s determination to battle against the Quinn administration’s attacks on retiree health benefits.

Chapter 31 also joined with other organizations and working union members at a Capitol rally, demanding that legislators pass the needed revenue to avoid the huge payment backlog to medical providers, Calloway said. “So many retirees are feeling the pain, as their health care providers are hounding them for payments that should have been made by CMS, we need to join together and demand responsible leadership.”

 

Chapter 31 growth shows at biennial convention

One hundred twenty-one delegates, alternates and guests from around the state gathered on Oct. 14 and 15 in Springfield for Chapter 31’s 12th Biennial Convention. They came to assess how far the Chapter has come in the last four years and decide where it needs to go in the future.

“I was impressed with the growth of the organization, and the in-depth coverage of the issues touched upon,” said Al Latoza, a newly elected executive board member for Region 10 in Southern Illinois. “The membership of our chapter has grown to close to 24,000 members.

That gives Illinois the second largest AFSCME Retiree Chapter in the country. And with the organization of three new sub-chapters to be chartered in the next few months, the organization will have 30 sub-chapters meeting once a month in Illinois.

“I'm very impressed with the quality and the amount of research done to give cold, hard facts to us,” Latoza said. “That gives us an amazing ability to arm retirees with information to protect their hard won benefits.”

 

Resolutions cover key issues

The resolutions passed at the convention set the agenda of the chapter for the next two years. These include:

• Continuing to keep the membership informed of the issues effecting them and protecting them through lobbying and political action;
• Preserving public pension plans, especially from the efforts to cut benefits;
• Pushing for full funding of pensions systems and defending the reliable defined-benefit pensions from being replaced by the risky defined-contribution plans;
• Opposing the federal Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision that unfairly cut public pensions;
• Making passage of the Employee Free Choice Act a priority;
• Supporting legislation that reforms Medicare’s Prescription Drug Benefit; and
• Working to enact health care reform legislation that guarantees affordable, quality coverage for all Americans, whether they are covered by employers, buy their own coverage, are Medicare beneficiaries or are currently uninsured.
  

 

New Chapter 31 Executive Board

This was an election year for the retiree chapter and delegates re-elected Virginia Yates of Sandoval as president of AFSCME Illinois Retirees. Other positions filled in the election: Executive Vice-President  -- Shirley Byrd, St. Anne; Northern Vice-President -- Hal Gullett, Normal; Southern Vice-President -- Dorothy Asbury, Moro; Recording Secretary -- Barbara Franklin, Rantoul; Secretary Treasurer -- Delores Wasmund, Chicago;  Executive Board -- Rose Bordoshuk, Chicago; Joyce Brown, East Moline; Larry Brown, Chester; Dick Dawdy, Godfrey; Don Fitch, Joliet; Louis Johnson, Springfield; Mary Jones, Chicago; Joyce King, Peoria; Veneda Knolhoff, Centralia; Al Latoza, Carbondale; Dorothy Livingston, Monmouth; Joseph Orthoefer, Rockford; Dixie Payne, Bourbonnais; Beatrice Stratton, Rantoul; Christine Turner, Chicago; Jessie Turner, Hillsboro; Emma Lou Sullivan, Jerseyville; Trustees -- Florence Blimling, Roodhouse; Marian Elliott, Chicago; John Ormins, Joliet; President Emeritus -- Doris Clark, Jacksonville

 

Former Chapter 31 president named to Senior Hall of Fame

The long and dedicated service of Doris Clark, the 94-year-old former president of AFSCME’s retirees Chapter 31, was recognized this fall when she was inducted into the Illinois Department on Aging Senior Hall of Fame.

Clark’s activism blossomed after she retired in 1981 from state service. Her efforts to support the rights of the elderly made her a well-known figure among state and federal lawmakers.

“It was amazing to many how this petite 5-foot grandmother can turn quickly into a pit bull if they don’t stand on the right side of issues important to older Illinoisans,” Council 31 retiree programs director Maria Britton said.

“Doris worked endlessly so that seniors would have an adequate living standard,” said Virginia Yates, who succeeded Clark as Chapter 31 president. “Among her many battles, she fought for financial help for lower income seniors on prescription drugs, energy costs and at-home care.”

During Clark’s tenure as vice chair and then chair of the International Union’s Retiree Council “national retiree membership grew dramatically – from less than 100,000 to our current roster of nearly 250,000 retiree members,” noted Steve Regenstreif, national director of AFSCME Retirees. “Without Doris’s leadership and commitment, we might never have reached such a milestone.”

Clark was one of four persons named to the department’s “Hall of Fame” this year. It was created in 1994 to honor Illinois citizens age 65 or older who stand out in one of four areas: community service, education, performance or graphic arts, and the labor force.

Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer said he was proud to have worked with Clark, who represented retirees on the Council 31 executive board: “The passion and dedication that Doris has brought to improving the lives of seniors is an inspiration to us all.”

 

Retirees need health-care reform

The many IMRF retirees who do not have employer-sponsored retiree health care are among those watching closely as the U.S. Congress debates health-care reform.

“Unfortunately, many people seem to forget that a large portion of the 47 million people without health insurance consist of those who retire prior to becoming 65 or those who do not qualify for Medicare,” Rockford Sub-chapter 69 member Kathleen Swanson said. “We need to lower health care costs and the only way to do that is through reform that contains a public option. There are many like me that have small pensions though they worked for 20 or more years. I believe it is important to educate retirees on issues and our chapter is moving in the right direction.”

 

Jefferson County chooses AFSCME retiree as Senior Saint

Pauline Moore, a long-time member of AFSCME sub-chapter 94 in Mount Vernon, has been selected by Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce as a 2009 Senior Saint.

This award is to honor residents of Jefferson County who have demonstrated Community Service, including civic activities and love of country, who exemplify the ability to embrace change, or who have taken action in the face of adversity.

“Pauline is an active 97-year-old woman who definitely deserves to be honored for her community work,” says Reba Aydt, a longtime member and past secretary for Mount Vernon, Sub-chapter 94.

On top of her active participation in AFSCME, Moore has been very active in the Grass Roots Organization, served as an election judge for many years and delivered meals to those in need in her area. She received the John F. Kennedy award from the Jefferson County Democrats for her many years of political involvement and continues to serve as a poll watcher in local, state and national elections. Moore is and has always been relied upon in her precinct for her honesty and integrity.

The Senior Saints program recognizes these individuals who’ve shied from the public spotlight choosing to serve quietly and unnoticed. The award was established more than a decade ago when a small group of citizens established a program to recognize those who had devoted their lives to the betterment of the community. Since then, more than 100 heroes have been named to the Jefferson County Senior Saints Hall of Fame.

 

Chapter leader chosen president of retiree alliance

Barb Franklin was elected on Sept. 24 as the new president of the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, a state affiliate of the Alliance for Retired Americans, which has been a proponent of senior rights since its inception in 2000.

"I am honored that AFSCME Retirees supported me for the presidency of the Illinois Alliance,” said Franklin, who is also the president of the Champaign Sub-chapter 88 and is Chapter 31 secretary.

Franklin replaced Hal Gullett, another AFSCME retiree activist

The ARA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of retired trade union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO and community based groups that currently serves more than 4 million members across 30 states. The mission of the ARA is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security.

“I will be replacing Hal Gullett, an outstanding president, so I am aware that I have some big shoes to fill,” Franklin said. “I am very excited to take over the reins and work for seniors and their important issues in our state."