The AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh last week showcased retirees’ vital role in the labor movement. The Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara Easterling gave a major speech to the convention on the political power of the retiree movement, particularly in this year's health care debate. She inspired union members young and old saying, "We can pass the Employee Free Choice Act. We can reform health care. We can change this country. This can be our lasting legacy."
The Alliance Town Hall meeting on Tuesday in Pittsburgh gave the 500 retirees in attendance an update on the health care debate plus key materials to help them educate and mobilize at the grassroots level. Their charge is to separate fact from fiction. Check out the ‘Mythbuster’ sheet.
Richard Fiesta, Alliance Director of Government and Political Affairs, provided a legislative update, while Dani Pere, Alliance Director of Field Mobilization, urged attendees to take specific steps back home, such as calling talk shows and sharing fact sheets. Following the Alliance Town Hall, the retirees attended President Obama’s speech to the AFL-CIO. The speech opened with a powerful story of Indiana Alliance and United Steelworkers member Steve Skvara, and included strong support for protecting Medicare.
On Wednesday, Richard Trumka, a very strong and early supporter of the Alliance, was elected President of the AFL-CIO. AFL-CIO delegates passed a resolution on Retirement Security, with Ms. Easterling speaking from the floor, and Mr. Trumka read a tribute to outgoing President John Sweeney written by former Alliance President George J. Kourpias. The remarks praised Mr. Sweeney for knowing “that the labor movement must retain its lifelong activists - that union members must remain part of the family, even when their working days are done” and assured Sweeney’s “commitment to retirees will be in good hands under our friend Rich Trumka.”
More convention coverage here!
(Video: AFL-CIO)
The Alliance Town Hall
Comments