Page 3 - Retiree News Summer 2017

How a constitutional convention could harm you
continued from page 1
• Public relief for the indigent and elderly;
• Standards and oversight for residents of nursing facilities;
• Collective bargaining rights;
• Numerous civil service,
human rights and environmental rights.
Expensive — and
we’re not invited
Another major reason why we are opposing a constitutional convention is because a convention would cost our state
more than $300 million. The 1967 state constitutional convention cost taxpayers about $6.5 million (equivalent to $46 million in 2015 numbers) — and accomplished nothing, as voters rejected all amendments.
Convention delegates (three from each state Senate district, plus 15 at-large) would not only be paid $79,500 (the same base salary of a state legislator), but will be able to hire staff and rent office space.
The delegates would also likely come from the ranks of elected
leaders, state government insiders and wealthy influencers. We’re not invited to this expensive party.
Unnecessary
We can amend our state convention without spending millions of dollars and jeopardizing our rights and protections. Bills can be passed through two consecutive state legislative sessions and brought before the voters to approve. If approved, they become part of the state constitution. We have changed our constitution in this way more than
200 times. The state is also using this method this year with two other questions on our November ballots.
What you can do
Get out to vote on Nov. 7 and vote NO on the Constitutional Convention ballot question, and urge your family and friends to do the same. Because this is a local government election year, turnout is especially important. Also, ballots across New York will be different so be sure to look for the question.
“If we vote ‘no,’ we will be protecting our financial assets and everything else that is bene”ficial to workers and retirees alike.
— Walter Harris III, 2nd vice president, Suffolk Retirees Local
“The presentation we heard from CSEA on the constitutional convention was very informative and I’ve been spreading the word to everybody I know. We need to make sure it gets voted down;
“Because of the fact that it’s something that only comes out every 20 years, a lot of people don’t understand what the constitutional convention means to them and we need to educate everyone — family, friends and the whole community.
It’s important because everything’s on the table for changes if they open up the constitution. It’s important to us as union members because it could affect our ability to negotiate on behalf of our members. Everything we’ve negotiated for years could go down the tubes.
“Retirees could lose the pensions that we’ve worked for all of our liv”es. It’s very important to vote ‘no.’
— Carol Low, Suffolk Retirees Local member
Some of us take our pensions for granted, but that’s the other thing that could change. If they wanted to diminish our pensions, this is the way they can do that. When it comes up on the ballot, we need to pay attention and absolutely need to
vote it down. It’s a dangerous attempt to change the way New York stat
If New York holds a constitutional
e operates. It’s not necessary, it’s a waste of money and everyone needs to vote no.
vulnerable. If I lose my pension, I
not just over our union issues, but to stop the hug”
e waste of taxpayer dollars.
— Rosalie Neri, Syracuse Area Retirees Local 913
“ ””
convention, our pensions will be
SUMMER 2017
3
— Charlotte Adkins, CSEA Retiree Executive Committee Chair and Syracuse Area Retirees Local 913 President
— Maryann Romano, 3rd vice president, Suffolk Retirees Local
won’t be able to afford to live on
Long Island.