Page 6 - Retiree News Fall 2022

Rohl honored with Webster Memorial Award
From left to right, CSEA Retiree Executive Committee Chair Bernadette Giambra, Capital District Retirees Local President Jack Rohl and CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan.
friends and our union family. I hope I have accomplished making people’s lives better.”
— Janice Gavin
ALBANY — Capital District Retirees Local 999 President Jack Rohl retired from the Albany Housing Authority in 2015, but he is still busy fighting on behalf of working people and retirees.
For his efforts to help working people and retirees, Rohl was recently honored with our union’s prestigious Donald Webster Memorial Mission Achievement Award, which is awarded to a CSEA Retiree activist, at our union’s recent Retiree Delegates Meeting.
“I was truly honored to have received the Donald Webster Memorial Mission Achievement Award and humbled that I could be noticed for what I have tried to accomplish for our union and our communities,” said Rohl. “I’ve always said this is not about me.
I think about other people and if I can do my best for them, I try to do so.”
In addition to serving on our union’s PEOPLE and Capital Region Political Action Committees, Rohl has been involved in efforts
to elect candidates who stand
with CSEA.
“Jack helped a lot to elect politicians who are committed
to supporting CSEA,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “Some members may not understand why we get involved in politics, but he knows that it doesn’t matter what party you are, but what side you are on.”
Lifetime of activism
Rohl’s involvement in politics began when he was a child in Albany’s South End, walking dogs for Albany Democratic Chair Dan O’Connell and later working with Albany Mayor Erastus Corning II.
“I was taught how true politicians treat people and help them in time of need,” said Rohl.
Those early lessons in activism helped Rohl as he began his union
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career with the Albany Housing Authority Unit in the late 1970s. He went on to serve in numerous roles in our union, including as Albany County Local President from 1984 until retiring. He also served as the Capital Region’s 3rd Vice President, on our union’s Board of Directors and as Local Government Division Chair.
He helped lead the Albany County Local’s efforts to get involved in local government races, and worked on efforts to halt privatization and furloughs.
“This is why political action is so important because you get to elect your bosses,” said Rohl. “Once we made endorsements, we followed up with phone banks, literature drops and helping candidates get elected. We also worked with them as elected officials.”
In 2017, Rohl was elected President of CSEA’s Capital District Retirees Local 999, and served as secretary of the Retiree Executive Committee from 2017-21.
He often reminds members that the contracts we have today, which include fair pay, good benefits and retirement security, weren’t always there.
“As retirees, political action
is most important today because every piece of legislation that is passed affects retirees,” said Rohl. “We all forget how this state and union were built on the back of grandparents and parents, who sacrificed dearly to have given
us these benefits, pensions and health insurances we enjoy today. Our retirees have fought for these contracts, earned them and set the standard. This is one reason retirees should be treated with dignity, respect, and never be taken advantage of and never be forgotten.”
Rohl notes that his family’s support was key in his ability to be active.
“My family has stood by me in good and bad times,” said Rohl. “We could never succeed in life without the support from family,
Upcoming Events
Local 905 Ithaca Area Nov. 9 Christmas Party, 1 p.m., Royal Court Restaurant, 529
S. Meadow Street (Route 13), Ithaca. RSVP
is required. Reservations can be made by contacting Local 1st Vice President Glenice Peel at (607) 731-1176 or Local Treasurer Judy Johnson at (607) 227-2144.
Local 909 Dutchess-Putnam Nov.
22 combination Thanksgiving and holiday celebration at the I-84 Diner, Fishkill. Meeting starts at noon. RSVP to Local 909 Recording Secretary Ali Devine at (845) 225-6422 no later than Monday, Nov. 17.
Local 917 Orange-Ulster-Sullivan Dec. 13 at the CSEA Orange County Local Office, 465 Main Street, Middletown. No meetings in January and February 2023.
Local 918 Rockland Dec. 14 membership meeting at noon, Lynch’s Restaurant, 79 S. Liberty Drive, Stony Point. Please confirm your attendance no later than Nov. 30 by calling Local President Ron Wilson at (845) 406-3724. Please call after 9 a.m.
Local 919 Nassau Nov. 15 Membership meetings. All meetings are held at the Levittown Hall, Levittown Parkway and Beech
Lane, Hicksville. Refreshments served at 11:30 a.m.; meeting starts at noon. Please note that meeting dates are tentative due to COVID-
19 and masks are required. Attendance lists at meeting must be signed. Please refer to mailing for more details on the meetings.
Local 920 Suffolk Nov. 16 and Dec. 14 at the CSEA Long Island Region Office, 3 Garet Place, Commack. To RSVP, call Local President Millie Lucas at (631) 922-8938.
Local 924 Schenectady Dec. 2 Christmas/ Holiday Party. More information TBA.
Local 925 Fulton-Montgomery Nov.
14 and Dec. 19 (Christmas Party) at noon, Winner’s Circle, State Highway 5, Fonda. Cost is $17 per person. Please see the 2022 meeting flyer for more details. To RSVP, contact Local President Grace Bevington-Eglin or 2nd Vice President Virginia Rockefeller. Callers will be in touch with local members as well.
Local 999 Capital District Retirees Dec. 6 at noon, American Legion Joseph E. Zaloga Post 1520, Everett Road, Albany. RSVP by November 22 by calling Deb Villa at (518) 489-1212; April 25, 2023, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Breakfast meeting. More information to come.
CSEA RETIREE NEWS