WHEREAS:

Retirement is a totally new experience for working people and requires them to make a wide variety of decisions on issues involving finances, health care, time management, leisure activities, and changing relationships with friends and family; and

WHEREAS:

Adequate income is a critical factor in a person's ability to maintain a secure and dignified retirement, requiring thorough planning that starts long before retirement age is reached; and

WHEREAS:

Surveys show that many working people do not plan adequately for retirement, are often unaware of the common problems that may confront them, are unfamiliar with the limitations of Medicare and supplemental health care coverage, and do not have enough information to make educated choices on pension options, housing alternatives, legal concerns, part-time employment, and other important items; and

WHEREAS:

Too few public sector employers or retirement systems currently have formal pre-retirement planning and counseling programs that go beyond the listing of pension and benefit options.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That this 27th International Convention urges AFSCME councils and locals to introduce pre-retirement planning programs as an important new service for their mid-life and older members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That the International Union provide councils and locals with whatever technical assistance they may need in order to mount effective pre-retirement planning and counseling programs.

SUBMITTED BY:

Herbert A. Ollivierre, President
Natalie Baker, Recording Secretary
AFSCME Council 93
Boston, Massachusetts