At their Spring Business Meeting today CEA-Retired members heard from CEA leaders, got updates on state and federal legislation, and elected new leaders.
In uncontested elections Vice President Mary-Beth Lang (center) was elected president, acting-Secretary Gary Peluchette (left) was elected vice president, Treasurer Karen DiMenna (not pictured) was reelected to a second term, and Maureen Honan (right) was elected secretary. The four will begin their new terms July 15.
“My leadership style is team driven, and you’re all part of that team,” Lang told members. She thanked retirees for their support and expressed special gratitude to current CEA-Retired President Bill Murray.
“Bill has given many years to union work, both in Danbury and as part of CEA-Retired, and we would like to especially thank him for his last six years as CEA-Retired president,” she said as she and Peluchette presented Murray with a flowering plant in appreciation for his many contributions. Due to term limits, Murray cannot run again.
Outgoing CEA-Retired President Bill Murray and his wife Sharon are honored by CEA-Retired Vice President and incoming President Mary-Beth Lang.
Murray thanked CEA-Retired members, CEA leaders, and staff for their support and gave special recognition to former CEA-Retired Secretary Pat Jordan and former CEA-Retired President Gloria Brown, who have both passed away in recent years, for their assistance during his time with CEA-Retired.
In her remarks to CEA-Retired members, CEA President Kate Dias thanked the many retirees who came to CEA’s lobby day to ensure educator voice is heard at the Capitol.
“There are issues that are important to all of you that we want to make sure are uplifted in the legislative process: protecting our pension, ensuring that the insurance subsidies are maintained—those and more are so critical to maintaining the type of retirement you deserve,” she said.
Impact of WEP/GPO Repeal
Turning to national issues, Dias continued, “We had a huge win with WEP/GPO repeal. When we think about union participation and what we fight for it is such a fundamental thing to ensure that we get the money we’ve worked for. It’s such a fundamental concept. To have this win in our pocket is a reminder of the power of our unity, the power of our voice, and the power of our relationships—not just with our federal delegation but across state lines.”
CEA President Kate Dias.
CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey reported that more than 80 percent of retirees who were impacted by WEP/GPO are now receiving the benefits they’re owed. Of those impacted who are not yet receiving a benefit, DeLancy said most are retirees who are due a spousal benefit but don’t know that they’re eligible.
“This could be you,” she said. “If you are a person who is married and your spouse is collecting Social Security, you may be eligible to collect up to 50 percent of your spousal Social Security. If you are one of those people and you have not called your local Social Security office yet, please do so. I’ve heard from people who have recently learned that they’re eligible and now will be getting more money in their Social Security checks.”
DeLancey said some of these individuals had never filed with Social Security because they never thought they would be eligible, so she encouraged CEA-Retired members to spread the word to fellow retirees who may be able to collect a benefit.
CEA Executive Director Todd Jaeck said his recent focus has been on building power for CEA members, by organizing across the career continuum—from aspiring educators to active teachers to retired educators.
“What a year of organizing it’s been for retirees,” Jaeck said. “Take a moment and think about what this group has accomplished this past year through these intentional organizing efforts. The big one is that you won on WEP/GPO. Well done, folks. You built a rapid response team to support the other members of that career continuum as they continue to build power. Fifteen retirees are taking part, and we still have space for more to help us continue to build power.”
Keynote speaker Lisa Perrone, director of constituent services in Congressman John Larson’s office, applauded retirees for their dedication to students and efforts on behalf of the profession.
Keynote speaker Lisa Perrone, director of constituent services in Congressman John Larson’s office, told members that as a former public school student and educator, public education remains dear to Larson’s heart—as does Social Security and ensuring the sustainability of that benefit not just for current retirees but for their children and grandchildren.
She urged any retirees who have a problem getting an answer from the Social Security Administration on an issue to reach out to the office of their member of Congress.
“Please keep in mind always, if you need something from Social Security and you don’t get an answer because they are cutting staff, because they’re tinkering with the website, because they are changing protocols and cutting staff, don’t get angry: call your member of Congress,” she said.
She urged retired teachers who are newly eligible for Social Security benefits, whether their own or spousal, to first try going online to www.ssa.gov to create an account. “If you have problems with that, call us.”
Need for Action Continues
There are just three weeks left in the Connecticut General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session, which means the legislature doesn’t have much time left to pass educators’ priorities.
CEA Legislative Coordinator Louis Rosado Burch told retirees that they need to keep up their activism through the end of the session.
CEA-Retired members hear from CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey.
He explained that the governor’s initial budget proposal reduced the state’s contribution to the Teachers’ Retirement Board Health Fund from one-third to a quarter for the next two years, while the Appropriations Committee’s budget restores the contribution in the second year but keeps the reduction for next year.
CEA sent retired members an action alert, encouraging them to contact legislators on the issue.
“Around 250 of you took action, which is good, but we can do better,” Rosado Burch said. “Our CEA-Retired Legislative Commission chairs asked me to remind you that the impact we can have relies very much on the actions that each of us take.”
Click here to contact your legislators.
“You’re perfectly poised to be strong advocates, to articulate the needs of our students, to articulate the needs of our teachers, and to bring those to the forefront as not just good things, but as things that are necessary for the survival of our democracy and for the success of our communities now more than ever,” Dias said. “As educators, we are critical to the development of our economy. We teach small children to read, and we teach big children to do math that they might not want to do. We do all those things, but what we also do is make sure that our country works. And we can’t lose sight of that.”
She added, “I look forward to being in partnership with all of our retires. You have consistently been rock solid partners, and I look forward to continuing that.”
