AFT retirees are leading the charge to save workers’ pensions

On the first full day of the AFT’s convention, members of the Retiree division from across the country gathered in Houston to celebrate victories and share strategies for continuing their lifelong fight for workers’ rights, retirement with dignity and safeguarding our democracy.

Tom Murphy, former retiree chapter leader of the United Federation of Teachers and current chair of the AFT Retirees program and policy council, spoke about the historic nature of the AFT’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, the high stakes of the 2024 election and how retirees can use their decades of organizing experience to fight for the future of our nation.

The meeting also included a panel discussion and Q&A with three retiree leaders and activists: Rita Runnels, Texas AFT’s Retiree Plus committee chair; David Quolke, second vice president and chair of the legislative issues committee for the Northeastern Ohio AFT Retirees; and Joyce Reinoso, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Retirees unit.

Runnels and her fellow retired educators in Texas faced an uphill battle to win a permanent cost of living adjustment (COLA) to teacher pensions. Teachers who retired after 2005 had never had their pensions increased, and the state was only offering Band-Aid solutions. Working alongside Texas AFT, retirees campaigned to pass a COLA amendment to the state constitution, which was approved by voters in November 2023 and went into effect in January 2024. According to Runnels, retirees can use those same campaigning skills in the upcoming election: knock on doors, share real-life experiences, educate voters and always follow up.

Quolke, a past president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, has faced a similar battle to reform pensions in Ohio. The State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) reduced COLAs in 2013 and then eliminated them outright in 2017. Partnering with active locals, Ohio retirees organized to elect five supportive candidates to the STRS board since 2017, leading to the reinstatement of COLAs in 2022 and 2023. Now they’re turning that energy and experience to the reelection of Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has been a champion for workers in Ohio.

Reinoso, a retired first-grade teacher, has found a new passion for political organizing as a member of the AFTerburners. She views political activism—like phone banking for pro-worker candidates—as feeding into her work with the PFT Retiree chapter and vice versa. They are still working to get a bill boosting pensions above 2001 levels for many retirees through both houses of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and they’re educating retirees and turning them into COLA activists. Like their fellow retirees across the country, they’re learning new skills and channeling their energy into work that matters—and they’re just getting started.

[Sharone Carmona, photo credit: Russ Curtis]