pdf Retiree News & Views - Nov/Dec 2016 (4.25 MB)
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Retiree Division hosted the Florida Retiree Conference in March at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista. The conference provided retirees with information on health and union benefits with representatives from GHI, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and several Florida-based plans on hand to answers questions. Pictured: Florida retirees at the Statewide Conference in Orlando. A similar meeting will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 2. |
President Abraham Lincoln once said: “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Clearly, he could have been talking about the retirees of Teamsters Local 237. Our retirees are activists who participate in many projects that range from political to historical, from the arts to education, from unionism to community engagement, and from health care to planning for the future. The retirees get involved. Throughout 2016, there were celebrations, seminars, parades, exhibitions, classes, trips and calls to action in which the retirees enthusiastically participated. Here are just some of the highlights of the year that underscore retiree activism, achievement and enrichment.
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Retirees participated in a “Get-Out-The Vote” phone bank for the presidential election. Pictured: Olga Vassallo Perez, Elsie Ortiz, Doris Welch and James Spicer. Charles W. Thompson and Nora Davila (not in photo) also participated.
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There was a Founding Convention in April of the NYS Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund, at the NYSUT Headquarters in Latham, NY. Pictured on the left, first row, is Barry Kaufman, the state president; left, back row, is Robert Roach Jr., the national president, and Doris Welch, center, president of the NYC chapter.
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Retirees marched in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Left to right, CejesterWalker; Jose Alicea; Bandleader Papo Pepin (who also performed on the float); Nancy True, Director of the Retiree Division; Elsa Nias; Nora Davila; Olga Vasallo Perez and Leroy Nias.
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New York State leads the nation with the highest percentage of unionized workers, more than doubling the national average. One in four workers are unionized and approximately 70% of public sector workers are union members. With a huge turnout at the Labor Day Parade on September 10, union strength was clearly on display with members of the Retiree Division and Division staff joining the march in solidarity and pride.
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The Presidential election and what’s at stake was the theme of this year’s Founders Day. A well-informed panel engaged in an insightful discussion on the topic. At the luncheon which followed the panel discussion, Gregory Floyd, President of Teamsters Local 237 (pictured at the podium), told the audience “I always look forward to Founders Day. It gives me a chance to catch up with so many friends. And I get to talk with people who have history with our union and understand the struggle to protect the rights of working men and women and retirees.”
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Teamsters Local 237 has a proud and important history in the City of New York. Retired members as founders and builders of our Local, understand the importance of preserving this history for future generations of members. The Teamsters Local 237 Oral History Project, over the past 20 years, has been preserving materials like hiring letters, photographs and other “artifacts” that bring the union’s history to life.Many shared their photos and “artifacts” or were interviewed in both New York City and in Puerto Rico. The Oral History Project reminds them: “At Local 237, we have a history in need of preservation. Our history is not written in books. The history of our union resides in the heads and hearts (and sometimes in the closets) of those who have been part of it.” A video of The Oral History Project won the First-Place prize of the New York Metro Council of Labor Communicators. The video can be viewed on the Local 237 website by clicking onto: OralHistory@FoundersDay. |
