Strengthening Life Skills

(This article appeared in the January/February 2012 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Judy Beard, Director Retirees Department

At a National Retirees Conference, which was held in October in conjunction with the All-Craft Conference, it was clear that the fight to save the Postal Service, protect postal jobs, stop post office closures, and stop cuts to Medicare and Social Security will continue to be at the forefront of our agenda in 2012.

The 150 retirees in attendance heard from APWU President Guffey, Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid, and Barbara Easterling, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans, about the legislative and political landscape and how it will affect postal employees and retirees.

Retirees also participated in workshops aimed at improving their quality of life, strengthening their tools for lobbying Congress, and fighting to protect their rights. Workshops covered topics such as how to write a newsletter, taught by Postal Press Association President Tony Carobine, and a computer workshop.

Jean Taylor, a retired member of the San Francisco Area Local, said, “We’re not just going to attend rallies and town hall meetings and call Congress, we’re also going to e-mail them at every opportunity to let them know that picking on seniors and postal workers is not what we sent them up to Congress to do. We’re not the cause of the deficit.”

Approximately 1,000 active employees attended a retirement training session at the conference, and many left with one major worry: Will it take six months or longer to receive their full pensions after they retire? This is a concern because when people retire it has taken approximately six months before many people receive their full annuity checks.

There is good news. John Berry, OPM director, told a House subcommittee on Nov. 15 that he is “deeply troubled by the timeliness of processing retirement claims,” and that retirees “deserve solid, respectful treatment.” He announced plans to hire 40 additional legal administrative specialists.

It is our hope that this will relieve some of the backlog. However, since the delays have been occurring for the past two years, we will remain skeptical until retirees begin receiving full payments in a reasonable amount of time. We encourage soon-to-be retirees to be sure to have savings to cover any possible delays.

APWU retirees rock! Awards were presented to three very deserving retiree chapter presidents for service to their chapters and to other seniors in their communities: Don Ross, Chicago Retiree Chapter; Patty Miller, Flint Retiree Chapter; and Dave Bernstein, Tampa Retiree Chapter.

COLA Changes for Retirees

When the New Year arrives, some retirees will begin receiving bigger annuity checks, as a result of a cost-ofliving adjustment (COLA). Retirees covered by Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who have been receiving benefits for at least one year will enjoy an increase of 3.6 percent, and retirees over the age of 62 who are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will receive an increase of one percentage point less, 2.6 percent.

Despite the relief that comes from larger annuity checks, we haven’t lost sight of the big picture: A proposal to use a new Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula, known as “the chained CPI,” would reduce the amount of money retirees receive.