You worked hard to earn a decent retirement. As AFSCME Retirees, we help you protect it.
All throughout Northern California, we work to unite public sector retirees at the state and local levels and enable them to fight effectively for improved health and pension benefits as well as more general senior citizen programs. Through our coalitions, we also work to guarantee retirement security by fighting to preserve Social Security and protecting Medicare. Get involved and join the largest organization of public-sector retirees in the state.
What are the Chapter 57 Retirees?
The AFSCME Retiree Program, which began operation in 1980, is an expanding national network of retired public sector workers.
Membership is open to all retired public employees who were members of AFSCME or who were employed at an agency where AFSCME represented workers, regardless of whether or not they were AFSCME members. Spouses are also eligible to join and are encouraged to participate in retiree activities. Members are also entitled to all of the AFSCME Advantage benefits that local affiliates offer thir working members.
AFSCME Retiree Chapter 57 members are also automatically members of the national Alliance for Retired Americans and the California Alliance for Retired Americans. These important coalitions work to guarantee retirement security by fighting to preserve Social Security and protecting Medicare.
AFSCME retiree sub-chapters have served to unite public sector retirees at the state and local levels and have enabled them to fight effectively for improved health and pension benefits as well as more general senior citizen programs.
Ongoing national priorities of the Retiree Program are to preserve Social Security and Medicare and achieve quality and affordable health care for everyone regardless of age. We are also concerned about the preservation of Medicaid, SSI and the Older American Act.
We need to fight for the benefits and pensions we earned. When we fight together, we win together!
— Jim Prola, Retired Water Analyst
Why We Continue to Fight
- Threats to Our Retirement Security. Big business and the right wing have launched major campaigns to undercut government responsibility for public pensions and retiree health care. Protecting our benefits is the No. 1 reason for sticking together in California AFSCME Retiree Chapter 57. Our strength is your security.
- Strength in Numbers. The AFSCME Retiree Program is the largest organization of public retirees in the USA, with nearly 230,000 dues-paying members nationwide (more than 27,000 right here in Northern California). The bigger we are, the stronger we are.
- Power in Unity. Alone, each of us have little power. But when public employee retirees join together and speak with one voice, we have clout with lawmakers and retirement systems.
- Members-Only Benefits. The “AFSCME Advantage” Program offers a variety of benefits and services to meet our members’ consumer needs. These include a no-fee, low-rate MasterCard; a discount legal assistance plan; theme park and car rental discounts; a pet services plan; a low-cost health savings program, with discounts on drugs and dental care; and many more.