ARA Continues Its Fight for Retiree Security

Washington, D.C.

A delegation of IUE-CWA retiree activists were among those storming Capitol Hill as part of the 2006 Alliance for Retired Americans national convention.

The Sept. 5-8, 2006, meeting brought together several hundred senior activists to celebrate the ARA's growth since its founding in 2001 and to renew their commitment to fighting to protect retirement security.

"The ARA national convention was great and very educational," commented Ray Lesniok, an IUE-CWA retiree from Cleveland, Ohio Local 707 and former District 7 officer, who attended with his wife, Deloris. "We especially enjoyed our visits to Capitol Hill to meet with our representatives and express our strong convictions on Social Security and the Medicare prescription drug bill. It was a very worthwhile trip."

Lesniok was joined by IUE-CWA retirees from Warren and Dayton, Ohio, Louisville, Ky., and Clinton, Miss.

Key among ARA's issues is protecting Social Security from privatization and fixing the flawed Medicare drug law so retirees receive real benefits without "holes" in coverage.

In just five years, the ARA has grown from 1.9 million to 3.2 million members.