Communications Workers of America
Local 7800 - Seattle, WA

CWA Retiree Council

Dear CWA Retiree:

A small group of CWA retirees met recently with a representative from the District 7 Retirees Council, to discuss organizing retiree chapters in the Pacific Northwest. This mailing affects ALL CWA retirees, regardless of your company affiliation. We are asking for your support in forming a Retired Members Council to support all CWA member and retiree issues. Our CWA Brothers and Sisters across Washington State, the Northwest and the Nation, are facing devastating changes in healthcare benefits and mounting political injustice for all Americans. There are millions of CWA retirees who depend on the corporations we once worked for, to provide benefits promised through bargained for agreements. Many of those agreements with our former employers, including Qwest, are up for renewal in the near future. If we don't unite and become a single voice across America, we are in danger of becoming the "silent majority" and could soon lose or be forced to pay for those assumed benefits out of our own pockets.

As has happened to many CWA members, healthcare costs are being passed on to retirees, who are least able to afford those increases. Corporations today want to pass their liability cost on to retirees or drop them all together. CWA members understand they bargain for active employee benefits and not retirees, knowing Federal law and contractual obligations regulate retiree benefits. In order to have a voice, retirees must organize, supporting present and future contract negotiations, for active CWA members, to preserve benefits and fight for political power in government, supporting the needs of all seniors. Retirees are a powerful force in public opinion and voter polls where politicians and corporations alike, understand the power we hold, when we are an organized unit, speaking with one voice.

We urge you to support our efforts to form a Washington State Retired Members Council (RMC) and ask you to contact a representative near you to let them know you are interested and want to participate in the preservation of CWA retiree and all senior benefits.

If you support organizing and would participate in these RMC efforts, please see the attached lifetime member application form. It can be accessed at the following web site: https://secure.ga6.org/08/rmclifetime and the application form can be found at: http://www.cwa-union.org/rmc/join.html. There is a one time $25.00 lifetime membership fee, but your participation will reap rewards many times this small sum. Also, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to participate in upcoming retiree meetings.

In Unity,

Links:

CWA Retiree Website
Qwest Retiree Health Benefits LOA