Page 2 - Retiree News Summer 2024

2 CSEA RETIREE NEWS
CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan:
Retiree members make a positive difference
CSEA Family,
CSEA
Retiree
members
are truly making
a difference
in helping our
union remain
strong.
Retirees are some of our union’s
most active members. Unionism
does not have to end with
retirement. Recently, Retirees have
been participating in union events
alongside working members,
including Member Appreciation
Month in May, as well as numerous
region events. Retirees all have
knowledge and experience; I
encourage you to share your story
with newer members to educate
them on our challenges and
history.
It is also important that Retirees
stay active in our union so that
we always demonstrate that we
will never become complacent.
You worked hard all of your career
and have earned your retirement
security. Anti-union groups such
as the Freedom Foundation would
love nothing better than to take
away our pensions, Social Security
and Medicare. The Freedom
Foundation is so desperate that
it has been using every shady
tactic it can to trick members into
opting out of our union, including
through mailers, emails and social
media posts that include false
information. We must all stay aware
of these attempts to weaken our
union. When it comes to fighting
back against anti-union groups,
education is one of our best
weapons. With this knowledge,
we can avoid being scammed into
losing our voice and power.
CSEA Retirees are also helping
our union’s efforts to elect
candidates who stand with
working people. Retiree members
were heavily involved in Primary
race on behalf of our union’s
endorsed candidates throughout
the state, including State Sen.
John Mannion and Westchester
County Executive George Latimer,
who were each victorious in their
congressional primaries. CSEA
Retiree members made major
contributions to these efforts,
including through volunteering at
phone banks, attending labor walks
and participating in Primary Day
visibility events.
Our union’s Retirees tirelessly
support labor, and we would love
to see more retired members
join our CSEA family. If you are
attending your Retiree Local
meeting, please consider reaching
out to a friend or former co-worker
who is eligible to join and bring
them with you. Many potential
Retiree members are unaware that
we have a strong Retiree Division,
or maybe no one asked them to
join. Anyone looking for more
information or an application can
visit https://cseany.org/retirees.
With your knowledge,
experience and activism, CSEA
Retiree members are one of our
union’s most valuable resources.
Our union and the labor movement
are stronger because of your
contributions.
In solidarity,
Mary E. Sullivan, President
Retiree Executive Committee Chair Bernadette Giambra:
Working to grow our retiree union
Hello! Hello!
Happy
Summer!
I hope that you
are all getting
out to enjoy the
warm weather.
CSEA Retiree
members have
been busy
holding Local
meetings and picnics. We really
want you to not only participate
in your local meeting, but to bring
some more of your former co-
workers.
We are looking for more members
to join our retiree union. It is
important that we grow our union
even stronger because we are facing
many challenges. To help face these
challenges, we need more voices!
Here’s what you can tell potential
members what you can find at a
Retiree Local meeting.
In addition to the chance to
catch up with some old friends and
meet some new ones, your meeting
will give you important updates
on issues facing our union, as well
as the latest in our money-saving
benefits.
What’s more? You don’t have
to leave your spouse or domestic
partner at home or pay an extra
fee. They can also join the CSEA
Retirees, so have them complete a
membership application and bring
them with you!
Are your eligible family members
or friends still not fully convinced
to join our retiree union? Here are a
few things you can tell them about
the benefits of membership.
Retiree members who meet
eligibility requirements can be part
of one of our union’s 24 Retiree
Locals, attend meetings, run for
office and vote in elections for their
retiree local leadership.
CSEA Retirees have access to
many of our union’s member-only
benefits, including supplemental
insurances with special rates for
CSEA members, several buying
programs that can save you money
on everything from major purchases
to household supplies and even
discount legal services that can
help give your family and you some
peace of mind.
Our union will also
enthusiastically defend retirees
when their pensions and benefits
are at stake.
You get all of this and more with
your CSEA Retiree membership, and
it costs $36 per year! Many members
are eligible to pay their membership
dues through pension deduction.
For newly retired members,
many CSEA Locals will help them
transition to retirement by paying
the first year of Retiree dues. All of
this is a great deal!
While we are happy to welcome
new members no matter when
they retired, the best time to
reach potential members is
before they retire. CSEA Retiree
officers and activists are taking
every opportunity to attend union
meetings, conferences and other
events to connect with members
who plan to retire soon. We are most
successful in signing up members
when we recruit them before they
walk out the door. We plan to
continue these recruitment efforts.
I hope you all have a happy and
safe summer and hope to see you
soon!
In Solidarity,
Bernie
Bernadette Giambra, Chair
CSEA Retiree Executive Committee