Page 2 - CSEA Retiree News Winter 2019

New law requires pharmacies to take back unused drugs
Anew state law aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic will
affect patients who bring home prescription medicine.
New York’s Drug Take Back Act requires drug manufacturers and pharmacies to offer drug take back programs. It includes both prescription and non-prescription drugs, but does not include
vitamins.
The goal is to stop drugs from
ending up in the wrong hands.
As of January 6, drug companies
will be responsible for covering all the costs of picking up leftover drugs, moving those drugs and destroying them.
The law will also force chain and mail-order pharmacies to offer
more options for you to get rid of your old medicine, including drop boxes and prepaid return envelopes.
For people addicted to opioids, the first supply often comes from a friend or family member who has medication left-over. The drug take back program will cut off that source.
CSEA President Danny Donohue:
Our fight goes on
As the old saying
goes, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
That has never
been more true
for our union than
in the past year,
when we faced the
U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision and the inevitable aftermath of anti-union groups trying to get our members to quit.
I have some bad news for our opponents – we’re still here and stronger than ever. Unions are far from over and we plan to keep it that way.
Our membership has been energized, but we need all of you
to stick together to face these challenges because this fight affects our retirees, too.
Your pension, health benefits and programs such as Social Security and Medicare help you live a secure, dignified retirement that you have earned.
We all know that we have never been handed anything; we have had to fight for everything we have and we are still fighting.
In recent years, we have seen numerous instances of former employers attempting to gut your health insurance coverage, elected officials referring to Social Security and Medicare as ‘entitlements’ and corporate CEOS and some elected leaders expressing support for ending guaranteed pensions.
We can’t afford to sit back and be complacent because our
opponents want to take everything we have earned away from us. So, even during your retirement years, our fight goes on.
We can win, but it’s crucial for us to stick together. We have already proven this many times, including stopping former employers from proposals that would harm retirees, overwhelmingly voting ‘no’ on the 2017 Constitutional Convention proposal and making sure that our elected officials know our concerns.
We were able to accomplish these things — and more — because we remain a strong union and we have the resources to fight for you. We can keep fighting if our members stay union and stay strong.
Corporate CEOs and billionaires certainly have more money, but we have our voices and our votes and we’re not afraid of a fight.
In closing, I wish to express our deepest condolences to all the loved ones of former CSEA Retiree Division Chair Charlie Peritore and his wife, Bertha, who passed away about one month apart. Charlie really shaped what our Retiree Division is today and he served our union actively for about 63 years. Bertha was also an active CSEA Retiree member who also helped our union stay strong. They were really a great example of members who stayed union strong for life.
In solidarity,
Retiree Executive Committee Chair Millie Lucas:
Building our strength
It’s no secret
that for our
union to stay
strong, we need to
stick together.
Our working
brothers and
sisters are facing
challenges from
anti-union groups
that are harassing them at work and home to try to get them to quit our union. Our members have not only rejected these efforts, but they are more determined than ever to fight for working people.
We may be retired, but this fight matters to us, too.
We retired with guaranteed pensions, health benefits, Social Security and Medicare, all of which are crucial to us being able to live our retirement years in dignity after long careers. Make no mistake — we earned everything we have.
Some elected leaders, corporate interests and anti-labor groups haven’t gotten that message — they think that we’re getting a privilege or a gift in “allowing” us to have retirement security. They would also love nothing more than to take it away.
We have to stand together and build ourselves even stronger. We are working hard to make sure that every CSEA member joins the CSEA Retiree Division once they retire from their jobs, but we recognize that they are not the only people who can help us stay strong.
Many of us attend retiree meetings and events with our spouses or domestic partners. Even
if they were not public employees while they worked, they not
only understand the importance
of strong unions, but they play important roles in our lifelong fight for justice.
Similarly, many retired CSEA staff members are just as invested in
our fight as we are. Over the years, many of us have stood side-by-side with these staff members at union events and worked with them to resolve numerous union issues. They have dedicated their careers to advocating for us, and they can continue to be strong voices on our behalf. Our fight is their fight, too.
That’s why CSEA delegates have approved an amendment to our Retiree Constitution that now makes our spouses, domestic partners and retired CSEA staff eligible to join our Retiree Locals.
Whether we are retired from public union-represented jobs, retired from CSEA staff or are a spouse or domestic partner, we all have one thing in common — we are all members of our CSEA family.
Like many personal families, we feel the responsibility to protect each other and protect our future generations. That is exactly what we are doing here — fighting for the retirement security for ourselves and for our future retirees.
If you have an eligible spouse or domestic partner, please urge them to join. We need you all.
In solidarity,
Millie
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CSEA RETIREE NEWS