October 24, 2023 — We worked hard for our earned benefits! Now we must educate ourselves about which politicians support us and which politicians don’t. Which candidates support a well-funded pension system? Who will keep Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid secure rather than proposing cuts under the pretext of saving it? The social safety net is important to seniors and workers. These earned benefits are the economic pillars of a well-deserved retirement.
We have a right and a responsibility as Americans to vote. When we vote for the candidates who align with our values, we win. When we vote for the wrong candidates, we’ll eventually be sorry that we did.
The National AFL-CIO endorsed Biden-Harris early for reelection. Our parent unions AFT and SEIU have also endorsed them early. As former union members and public retirees, we need to vote.
I have included below a few excerpts from the AFT Endorsement of Biden-Harris. These are concrete examples of what a pro-union, pro-retirees administration does. I hope every retiree in New York and across this great country votes their union values — values like collective bargaining, fair wages, safe working conditions, quality affordable health insurance, a guaranteed pension. The current administration in Washington gets it! Please vote no matter what state you’re in!
Backing Workers’ Voices
Collective Bargaining: Signed an executive order enabling federal workers to collectively bargain and called for passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to make it easier to join a union.
Contract negotiation: The Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to engage with unions and reopen Trump-administration contracts that include anti-worker provisions for renegotiation.
National Labor Relations Board: Established a pro-worker majority on the National Labor Relations Board and created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment.
Standing Up For Retirees
Pensions: Provided funding to the Central States Pension Fund, securing the pensions of more than 350,000 workers, and protecting retirees from 60% cuts.
Quality of life: Signed the American Rescue Plan’s Older Americans Act to release more than $1 billion in funding to expand access to home-delivery meal systems and home- and community-based services.
Retirement care: Expanded access to technical assistance and training services offered to staff in nursing home facilities to improve both quality of life and safety for residents.
Assisting Working Families
Childcare: Secured $24 billion in financial relief to childcare providers to defray unexpected business costs associated with the pandemic and to help childcare providers stay open and continue to provide care so essential employees could continue to work.
Economic stimulus: Issued 171 million stimulus checks to help working families put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and afford their prescriptions, and delivered a middle-class tax cut to working families—35 million households received child tax credits, which led to what experts estimate was the lowest child-poverty rate on record.
Premium pay: Signed the American Rescue Plan, which provided $350 billion in additional funding for state and local governments to replace lost revenue, offset pandemic expenditures, and provide up to $25,000 in premium pay to eligible workers.
Let’s support an administration who has supported us!