2. Retirees Never Quit!

3. The history of AFSCME Retirees How to organize retirees Tips for how to engage retiree members How you can stay involved after you retire

4. History/Philosophy of AFSCME Retirees

5. Who can join AFSCME Retirees?

6. Anyone who was former member of AFSCME OR receiving a public-sector pension Not necessarily members of the union when working Spouses/partners and surviving spouses/partners can also be members

7. Retirees – A Political Force

8. Retiree Issues – National Real Retirement Security for All Social Security Medicare Health Care/ Affordable Care Act (ACA) Long Term and Home and Community Based Care Older Americans Act (OAA)

9. The Retirement Security Crisis The average working household has virtually no retirement savings The 401(k) experiment has failed According to a recent Gallup poll, not having enough for retirement is a major concern for 59% of Americans.

10. Retirement Security Solutions Expand Social Security Protect and expand Medicare Protect defined-benefit pensions

11. Standing Up for Social Security and Medicare

12. Holding Politicians Accountable For Their Plans

13. Where We Are Today

14. Membership totals by State >500500 – 1,000 1,000 – 2,000 2,000 – 5,000 5,000 – 10,00010,000 – 20,000 20,000 – 30,000 30,000 – 60,00060,000+ DC MD MA

15. Local Structure of the AFSCME Retirees

16. AFSCME Retiree Chapters and Subchapters Active retiree chapters and/or subchapters No active retiree chapters or subchapters Active retiree organizing chapters or special affiliation DC MD CT MA

17. AFSCME Retiree Special Affiliations  Organizing Chapters  Amalgamated SubchaptersUnaffiliated Subchapters MA CT MD DC  

18. Relationship with Councils and Locals

19. AFSCME Retirees’ National Structure

20. Support from International Union Retiree Department Support from the rest of the International Union – Federal Government Affairs – Political Action & PEOPLE – Communications – Education – Research – Conference and Travel Services

21. Retiree Dues Structure Again, chapters are independently chartered Minimum retiree dues are $24 per year Chapters and subchapters manage their finances themselves

22. Member Benefits Official membership card Membership in the national Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) Our retiree newsletter, PrimeTime AFSCME WORKS AFSCME Advantage benefits – Low interest MasterCard – Discount cell phone service – Travel discounts – And more! Belong to the largest public employee organization to protect retirement security

23. Steps for Creating a Retiree Chapter 1.Work closely with Retiree Department 2.Create organizing committee 3.Draft chapter constitution 4.Develop dues system 5.Identify source of retiree lists 6.Develop chapter structure/organize subchapters (if applicable) 7.Develop and implement retiree recruitment strategy 8.Founding Convention/Approve Constitution/Elect Officers

24. Organizing Committee Sometimes self-selected Recommendations from council and local leaders Often retired officers, stewards, staff, activists 3-10 leaders Meet regularly to begin to gather and implement organizing tools and put together structure/constitution Support from the Retiree Department

25. How to Organize Retirees Mail One-on-one organizing New technologies – email, online sign-up Keep working the list Follow-up – Welcome letter/activist form/PEOPLE to help continue to build your organizing committee and activist base

26. Organizing Sub-chapters When chapters are organized statewide, need local groups so members can meet close to where they live Members from the area are invited to a meeting Mini-organizing committee is formed Usually someone from the area is on the statewide organizing committee

27. Founding Convention

28. Hints for Organizing Retirees Don’t underestimate a retiree’s energy or skills Retirees like to meet during the week, during daylight hours One of the best times to recruit a new retiree leader is right after they retire The best resource you have is retired union activists Retirees like to be with their spouses/partners Social gatherings are important

29. We Have Chartered a Retiree Chapter, Now What? Retiree chapters meet regularly to keep their members informed about current issues and to keep in touch with old friends Create chapter committees Work closely with councils and locals on state/local legislative and political programs Activate members to call/write their elected leaders on key federal issues

30. Contact Us! AFSCME Retiree Department – 202-429-1274 Ben Hodapp, Retiree Field Manager – 202-429-1259 – bhodapp@afscme.org Antonio Lewis, Southern Regional Retiree Organizer – 404-587-5438 – anlewis@afscme.org Lauren Babb, Western Regional Retirees Organizer – 313-452-1107 – lbabb@afscme.org Zac Ogle, Central Regional Retiree Organizer – 270-922-6076 – zogle@afscme.org www.afscme.org/retirees – Sign up for our email list! Like us on Facebook! – www.facebook.com/afscmeretirees