Workers United Retirees: Our Legacy is in Jeopardy

Bruce Raynor
President,
Workers United/SEIU
275 7th Ave, 7th Floor
New York, New York 10001

John Wilhem                                                                           
President                                                                                 
UNITE HERE                                                                         
275 7th Ave  10th Floor                                                             
New York, NY 10001                                                             

Dear Presidents,

We are the retired members and have been a part of this union for more than 25 years. We have participated in our union as members, staff, and executive officers.  We retired from our jobs but we never left our union behind; joining our local Retiree Club and becoming dues paying members of the Retiree Association. Since then, we have continued to be hard at work fighting for workers rights.

We have always served our union proudly and worked to build a stronger labor movement.  The personal values that have guided us through our lives stem from what we have learned from each other in the labor movement: stand with your fellow colleague, work hard, be empowered to change an injustice and negotiate in good faith.  These are just some of the values that we hold dear to our hearts and try to follow as we navigate our lives.

Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that we would be fighting each other; that the community we built would be in jeopardy; that the history of our predecessors would be easily forgotten.  The union assets - the buildings, medical centers, housing and the bank - were built with our sweat, tears pennies and dimes. We built these things, which are now called assets, to provide a better future for our brothers and sisters who followed us in the labor movement. These assets are our strength, not only because of their monetary value, but because they provide us with certain necessities: a place to safely discuss our strategies, a means of income that helps us compete with the employers, a place to meet to continue the struggle, and most importantly, a symbol. Our assets are not a check book; they're a symbol of what workers can accomplish. Our assets are our source of hope, accomplishment and victory. To lose our buildings, medical centers, housing and bank is to lose a piece of ourselves. 

The way that this current dispute is resolved will set a precedent for how future disputes in the labor movement will be handled. We have an opportunity to turn this nasty page of history and be seen as an example to the world. That despite what got us into this situation we can negotiate in good faith.

This is a time when we should be working together.  In today's economy, our members need us more than ever. It's time to put them first again. So, we, the retired members, kindly asks both of you, as leaders and guiders of our union, to settle this dispute.  Please agree to arbitration so we can resolve our differences with some dignity.

In Solidarity,

Lidia Correa, Retiree Coordinator (NY)
Katie Jordan, Advisor to the UNITE Seniors of Chicago (IL)
Betty O'Neal, Vice- President of St. Louis Retiree Club (MO)
Antoinette Jackson, Retiree Coordinator (FL)
Louise Hobbs, , Vice-President of the English Club (NY)
Mary J. M. Guions, President of the Philadelphia Retiree Chapter (PA)
Veronica D. Wright, Executive Board Member of the Philadelphia Retiree Chapter (PA)
Myrtle Fitzgerald, President of the Young at Heart Retiree Club (VA)
Humberto Tex Snape, Retiree Leader (NY)
Jaycee Holden, President of the English Retiree Club (NY)