Retirees

The AFT Washington Retiree Chapter, Local 8045R, is an affiliate of AFT Washington and the American Federation of Teachers. It was established for the benefit of retired members of AFT Washington, to foster the social, political, educational, cultural, and civic pursuits of retirees. It functions as an active arm of AFT Washington, with a seat on the Executive Board, and has a relationship with the National organization. It is also intended to champion a united voice for AFT Retirees in the state of Washington, and to disseminate information of interest to our members.

The chapter has no dues. At this time, you are eligible to be a member if you are a retired member of AFT Washington or any of its affiliates, including AFT, WFT, or WSFT, or are a spouse of an AFT Washington, AFT, WFT, or WSFT member.

You can find the National Retiree Chapter website here.

Our next meeting is the quarterly Executive Board meeting, scheduled for March 20th from 1:00 - 3:00 PM.

All retirees are invited to the meeting! If you have questions contact Merrilee Miron at Merrilee.miron@gmail.com or Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org.

Background:

• The insurance industry expends enormous amounts of money to advertise Medicare Advantage (MA) to beneficiaries because it is immensely profitable.
• MA policies such as prior authorization, delays, and denials of care ensure that insurers make more money but are well documented to cause harm and even death among patients.
• MA plans divert public taxes into the pockets of shareholders and CEOs, instead of using them for health care. Insurance companies gain the upper hand over Traditional Medicare (TM) in many ways - including via PR campaigns, lobbying, and by using the revolving

Congressional Republicans have proposed Fiscal Commission legislation that would create a process in which legislating would be done by a small group of individuals, behind closed doors and with the goal of producing legislation that cuts benefits. There is no framework for public review or member input.

116 House Representatives have signed a letter opposing this proposal. The only program called out called out in the letter is Social Security, but the expectation is that the Commission would be a major threat to all programs covered with a trust fund like the Medicare Trust Fund.

You can read the letter here. 

On Monday, February 20, the Washington State Senate Ways & Means Committee passed two important Plan 1 pension bills. Senate Bill 5350 will provide PERS 1 and TRS 1 retirees with a one-time 3% cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) in July 2023, not to exceed $110 per month. It also includes language that RPEC helped craft to direct the Select Committee on Pension Policy to study and recommend an ongoing COLA for Plan 1 retirees. In executive session, Senator Lynda Wilson (R, Vancouver) offered an amendment to soften this language. Senator Steve Conway (D, Tacoma), the bill’s primary sponsor, spoke against the proposed amendment, and Democrats defeated it in a party-line voice vote.

The bill was passed out of committee almost unanimously, with Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Lewis County voting “without recommendation." It now moves to the Senate Rules Committee where it will wait to be “pulled” and scheduled for a Senate floor vote. If it passes the Legislature, all Plan 1 retirees will receive COLAs in consecutive years for the first time since 2010. It will also set the stage for the Select Committee on Pension Policy to begin work on an ongoing COLA proposal after the Legislature adjourns on April 24.

If you are looking for more information about the privatization of Medicare, there is a front page article in the most March issue of the PSARA Advocate. On page 4, there is an article about the Webinar on March 20.  Please sign up for the newsletter and try to watch the webinar. A recording is available here.

At the PSARA website there is a link that says Don't Privatize Medicare, which provides a lot of resources and links to more information.

Photo by Garet Munger

If you are retired and fit one or more of the following categories, you can join the Retiree Chapter simply by completing an application form and mailing it to us at 604 Oakesdale Avenue SW, Suite 103, Renton, WA 98057. THERE ARE NO DUES.

• You were ever a member of an AFT Washington, WFT, and/or WSFT Local

• You were employed by AFT Washington, WFT, and/or WSFT

• You have had or have some association with an AFT local outside the State of Washington or with the national American Federation of Teachers

You may also join the chapter if you are the spouse or partner of a Retiree-Chapter member or a member of her or his family.

If you have questions, please contact Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org or 1-866-992-3892 ext. 8084.

The Retiree Chapter is engaged in a project to clean up the conflicting versions of the bylaws that have developed. The revised bylaws will be voted on at the next Annual Meeting of the chapter, in 2023. In the meantime, this set of bylaws, which are a composite of the different versions, is the most complete bylaws document currently available. If there is a question about whether a specific clause is in the last approved bylaws, please contact Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org.

The Retiree Chapter of AFT Washington is a strong supporter of Healthcare is A Human Right (HCHR), which has been urging Congress to create a more equitable future for all by including several health policy priorities in the federal budget. This work has been ongoing; now with the reconciliation bill before Congress, and with healthcare a key component of the Build Back Better agenda, efforts have redoubled.

The Economic Opportunity Institute put together a PowerPoint describing those priorities.

The Board of the Retiree Chapter consists of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and five Directors. They serve for a two-year term. This biennium's board is:

President: Merrilee Miron
Vice President: Renee Potter
Secretary: Jacqueline Silver
Treasurer: Vacant
Director: Jim Howe
Director: Christine Landon
Director: Susan Levy
Director: Burt Weston
Director: Vacant