By GREGORY N. HEIRES
Retired city workers gathered in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday to protest their national union’s decision to put the DC 37 Retirees Association under trusteeship.
DC 37 retirees—who counted with many supporters–demonstrated outside the office at 75 Maiden Lane from which they were evicted.
They charged that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees took the step because of the group’s opposition to a city plan— supported by ASFCME’s flagship DC 37, the United Federation of Teachers and other unions—to force former municipal workers to give up their traditional Medicare coverage and enroll in a for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. AFSCME claims it imposed the administratorship because the association failed to file 990 tax forms.
“You can throw us out of office, but you cannot shut us up,” said the association’ vice president for interunion relations, Neal Frumpkin, addressing the estimated 200 protestors.
Frumpkin noted that more than a year before the takeover, ASFCME demanded that the association withdraw its financial support for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, which is leading the legal challenge to the city’s privatization plan. The association, however, ultimately refused to withdraw its support, setting the basis for the trusteeship, Frumpkin said.
During the demonstration retiree leader Michelle Keller led the protestors in call-and-response chants.
“What do we want?” Keller said. “Medicare!,” the crowd responded.
“Who has the power?” Keller asked. “We got the power,” the protestors said. “What kind of power,” Keller said. “Retiree power,” they responded.
Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said, “They didn’t count on us fighting back, but they woke up a sleeping giant.”
She referred to the AFSCME trusteeship as a “draconian punishment.”
As they cheered on speakers, protestors carried placards with such messages as “Protect my Medicare,” “DC Retirees won’t Be Silenced,” “Don’t Privatize Our Health Care,” and “ASFCME BETRAYED US.”
Retirees Aurea Mangual urged retirees to stop giving contributing to the national union’s political action committee and to boycott an upcoming union lobby day.
“This is a shameful and sad moment in labor history, when you have a national union take control of its own association under bogus charges” said retired teacher Maria Biederman.
