Publications

Chapters in Action

Iowa Chapter 61

Chapter 61 members met in September to elect officers and reelected President Pat Scott. The occasion also served as an opportunity to hear from Iowa Secretary of State, Chet Culver, son of former Iowa Sen. John Culver, about voter's rights and responsibilities for the upcoming Presidential caucuses. Members of Chapter 61 also heard from the Iowa Public Employee Retirement System Director, Greg Cusak and from Council 61 organizers who are spearheading AFSCME's Take Back America campaign in Iowa.

Pennsylvania Chapter 13

Over 250 retirees came out for Chapter 13's 24th annual convention in September. Congressman Tim Holden was the keynote speaker for the convention and rallied retirees to fight for a REAL prescription drug benefit. Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll also addressed the group. Every retiree in attendance signed letters to their Senators, Spector and Santorum, asking them to oppose the privatization of Medicare.

Washington State Chapter 10

Nearly 250 retiree delegates from 41 subchapters across the state attended the September convention of Washington Chapter 10 (The Retired Public Employees Council of Washington) in Kennewick. Keynote speaker was Christine Gregoire, the state attorney general. She said that recent stock market declines had hurt public pension funds, but the Washington state fund was in good shape, "largely because your President, George Masten, was named chair of the State Investment Board." She said her office was going after drug companies engaged in illegal activities, such as abusing patent laws by blocking generic drugs from coming on the market. Resolutions approved by convention delegates include one endorsing H.R.676, a universal health care bill co-sponsored in the U.S. House by Washington Congressman Jim McDermott (D).

New York/CSEA Chapter 1000

In August, CSEA retirees headed for Buffalo to attend Chapter 1000's Annual Retiree Delegate Meeting. They heard from a variety of speakers and attended workshops on the Medicare drug bill and New York State retiree benefit programs. They also enjoyed a rousing night of bingo and an excursion to a nearby casino. This year's Don Webster Memorial Mission Achievement Award for outstanding service to CSEA was presented to Anne Maywalt. For many years, Maywalt served as the retiree representative on CSEA's statewide PEOPLE Committee, and helped raise thousands of dollars from fellow retirees for the union's legislative/political action fund.

Wisconsin Chapter 7

Wausau was the site of Chapter 7's annual convention, held in mid-October. Pres. Jerry LaPoint announced that the chapter had grown considerably in the last year, largely the result of Council 40's decision to pay the first year's dues for retiring members. Convention speakers included representatives from the state retirement system, the offices of U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D) and Rep. David Obey (D) and Wisconsin Citizen Action. State Sen. Russ Decker (D), addressing the retirees, discussed education and tax issues, and said soaring health care costs "are cleaning out the state treasury." Decker supports a program, with the AFL-CIO, for statewide universal coverage. He said the plan centers on a core health benefit that additional employer-benefits could wrap around.

South Dakota Retirees

A group of retired members, staff and officers from AFSCME South Dakota Council 59 recently came together to form a retiree organizing committee that will explore the possibility of starting a retiree chapter in the state.

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