As a public retiree, you have earned your pensions, Social Security, health care and other retirement benefits that allow you to have a dignified, secure retirement.
You are active, vital members of your communities, whether you live in Oneonta or Ocala.
Yet, there are politicians and corporate leaders who think your retirement is too generous and want to cut into your benefits and more notably, that of future retirees.
As you may know, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of public employee agency fees in its Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association decision, but this case isn’t over. The plaintiffs recently filed a motion for rehearing as this edition went to press.
Should the plaintiffs be successful, protecting our pensions, health care benefits and other retirement security benefits will be much more difficult.
Even if the motion is denied, it’s still a short-term victory. This case was only one factor in a long line of sustained, relentless attacks on retirees and working people and everything we have worked to achieve.
We have to stand together and fight back. We are facing many threats, but when we stand strong and Never Quit, great things can happen.
Our union is bigger than ourselves, but we can individually make it stronger and better, even after we retire.
We need to stand alongside our brothers and sisters and help them fight these strong forces that threaten us all. Our future depends on it.
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- Florida State Retirees East Local 951 members give a standing ovation to Jose LaLuz.
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- Florida State Retirees East Local 951 Vice President Teresa Staab addresses members.
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- From left, CSEA President Danny Donohue and Florida State Retirees East Local 951 President Lawrence Staab pose with U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida that is being vacated by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Murphy, whose Congressional district is in the Miami area, spoke about his blue-collar background and strong support for the middle class.
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- “I have decided to become active in the Retiree Division because there are so many challenges for retirees, including our health care. CSEA has great resources to help retirees understand and get the help they need.” — Valerie Sanders, Florida State North Retirees Local, Unit 2
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- Florida State West Retirees Local member Lyle Evans shows his CSEA pride through wearing a vest full of CSEA and AFSCME pins to the local’s recent membership meeting. Evans, a state Department of Transportation Region 2 (Utica) Local activist before retiring, has collected and traded pins for years.
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- “Even though we’re retired, we still work hard to help working families get a fair deal.” — David Soule, treasurer, Florida State North Retirees Local, on why he is active in the PEOPLE Program.
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- “It’s important to know what’s going on with things that affect retirees such as benefits and legislation. CSEA is fighting for our retirement security and works hard to keep us up to date.” — Yvonne Taylor, Florida State West Retirees Local
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- “I want to be current on issues facing our members and fear for my retirement security. My CSEA membership has allowed me to have a secure retirement, but I want to make sure that what I’ve earned isn’t taken away.” — Michael Tendort, Florida Retirees East Local 951 member
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- CSEA Public Policy Coordinator Jose LaLuz fires up Local 952 members.
