SEIU Retirees Getting Organized

Retired SEIU members from the public and private sector met for their first meeting of the year.  Gloria Jones, a retiree from Meharry Medical College, chaired the meeting and asked members to commit to help grow the chapter in 2010 so that retiree and senior issues would be addressed.  "With the health care crisis, and the attacks on public pensions and Social Security, it is time that we step up and lead the way for the rest of Tennessee's seniors and retirees," Jones said.

One of the issues that members had a lot of questions about is the current healthcare reform legislation.  "I am getting a lot of those emails talking about all the bad things with the healthcare bill and I need to know what's true and what isn't," said Betty McDonald, a retiree who used to work at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.  After a brief discussion about healthcare, members said they would be interested in hearing more about the topic at the next chapter meeting.  Also on the agenda for the next meeting will be to recruit new officers - an obstacle that caused the Retiree Chapter to stop meeting for nearly two years.  "I am excited about all the new people who came out to this meeting," Jones says.  "This isn't going to work without a team effort and I hope that the people who were active in the union while they were working stay active with us now that they're retired."

The next Retiree Chapter meeting will be on Tuesday, March 23 at 11:30 am at the Union Hall in Nashville (521 Central Ave., 37211).  Lunch will be provided for those who rsvp with Gloria Jones by calling her at 853-6055.