Retirees In Action

PEF Retirees’ statewide officers began new two-year terms January 1.

I, as president, Mary Reid, as first vice president, and Richard Magelaner as second vice president were re-elected. Marje DeVoe is beginning her first term as secretary.

We begin our new terms of office with a vision to ensure our members’ pension and health care benefits are secure. We are dedicated to the continuous improvement of our PEF Retirees chapters and will work to keep our members educated and involved.

The state’s fiscal health is a major concern. Gov. David Paterson is projecting a $13.7 billion deficit in state finances in 2009.

PEF has submitted a list of cost-saving steps the state could take to assuage some of this shortfall.

Unfortunately, the governor’s proposal ignores many of those suggestions and, instead, would impose many sacrifices on active and retired state employees.

Both groups would start paying approximately $20 to $30 annually for Medicare Part B premiums for individual coverage or about $80 annually for family coverage.

New state retirees would pay more for their state health insurance, and new state hires would go into a new pension Tier 5. (See details.)

We must be strong if we are to protect our well deserved benefits. Over the past years, we have written thousands of letters and made tens of thousands of phone calls to our legislators to express our concerns. We must continue this effort.

The PEF Retirees officers thank all of you who have helped us in our battles to preserve Social Security and Medicare, to fight the pharmaceutical industry, to expand health care in America, to stand for government that serves all the people and to promote respect and security for the elderly.

Some groups in this country question why retirees should continue to receive benefits from their former employers.
Our answer: “We committed a significant portion of our lives to our employers, with the contractual understanding we would be rewarded with benefits to provide security in our senior years.”

We cannot take support in Albany or Washington for granted. Our political clout depends on our strength as a statewide retiree group and that’s dependent on you and your work within your PEF Retirees chapters.