Page 2 - CSEA Retiree News Summer 2019

CSEA President Danny Donohue:
Help us stay strong
As CSEA retiree
members, you are making a big difference in our union and your communities.
You stand
alongside your working brothers and sisters to help us gain a stronger voice in the workplace, secure fair pay and benefits and protect retirement security.
Whether you are working on phone banks or dropping literature on behalf of a CSEA-endorsed candidate, joining members at rallies, holding elected leaders accountable to working people and retirees or helping unorganized workers in their fight to join our union, you are a valuable part of our union family.
You play a vital role in helping us stay strong as we continue to face anti-union groups that not only want to destroy unions, but support gutting your pensions, Social Security and Medicare.
There are several recent examples of you helping us
not only protect current and future retirees, but advance our communities.
Capital District Retirees Local 999 President Jack Rohl recently worked with our Albany County Local and our union’s Organizing Department to help 50 Albany County Water Purification District workers join CSEA. Thanks to the efforts of Jack,
our working members and staff, these workers will have a more secure future.
Florida State North Retirees Local 952 1st Vice President
Joan Reinhart was recently honored by the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans for her ongoing efforts to protect retirement security for current and future retirees. She and other retirees are undergoing these efforts in a state where unionization rates are low and workers have an uphill battle for fairness.
Suffolk Retirees Local 920 activist Marian Hester was also recently honored by her community for her many years of work in promoting positive social change.
Jack, Joan and Marian are true inspirations, but they are far from the only CSEA retiree members who are making a difference every day.
You are vital to our union staying strong, and you are vital to our communities.
A recent report by the New York State and Local Retirement System shows that you are contributing $12 billion to our state and local economies, which help our communities stay vibrant and strong.
For those of you who live in other states, including Florida, you are also playing a major role in keeping your local economy strong thanks to our secure, defined-benefit pensions, health care and Social Security.
You are helping us make positive change and your experience and support help us keep our union strong!
In solidarity,
Retiree Executive Committee Chair Millie Lucas:
Secure retirements help us advance Wour union, community
hen we wouldn’t have retirement security stop without Social Security and working, Medicare.
we don’t stop living.
For many of us, our
retirement years
are really a new
beginning for us to pursue our personal interests, become active in our community or our union or enjoy our loved ones. Contrary to popular belief, retirement is not a time for rest.
Three of our retiree activists, Suffolk Retirees Local 920 member Marian Hester, Florida State Retirees North Local 952 1st Vice President Joan Reinhart and Capital District Retirees Local 999 President Jack Rohl, are among our retirees who are stepping
up to advance our union and community.
Marian, Joan and Jack would have far more difficulty in serving our union and their communities if it weren’t for having a secure retirement.
Most of us retired with defined-benefit pensions that are managed through one of the best-funded, most stable state retirement systems in the country.
Our pensions are crucial, but
Social Security helps keep millions of retirees, their beneficiaries and those with disabilities live a more dignified life. Medicare helps us get quality, affordable health care. Together with our pensions, these retirement benefits help us live more active lives.
We have to remember that while we have our pensions and benefits, we can’t take them for granted.
Some elected officials, corporate billionaires and anti- union groups would like to take away these essential protections (and more) from future retirees. Our opponents also think that our pensions and benefits are too ‘generous’ and believe they are gifts from our former employers.
Make no mistake — we have earned our pensions and benefits through years of hard work. We all must fight to make sure they don’t take what we have earned away from us.
In solidarity,
Millie
CSEA mourns loss of Petrillo
PALM HARBOR, FL — CSEA is mourning the loss of Florida State West Local 950 1st Vice President Joseph “Joe” Petrillo, 88, who passed away on May 24.
Petrillo was employed by the Town of Hempstead, including as the town Director of Planning. After retiring in 1990, he moved to Palm Harbor, Fla., where he became active in our union.
Outside of his CSEA activism, he had served as a Palm Harbor, FL Fire Rescue Commissioner for 23 years. He was also a member of the American Legion and Knights of Columbus. He leaves his wife of nearly 41 years, Benita; children; grandchildren and great- grandchildren.
Petrillo addresses members at a 2018 Local 950 membership meeting.
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CSEA RETIREE NEWS