Thursday, March 25, 2004.

Long Island retiree Mary Sayer asks about the Alliance for Retired Americans.

It's a myth that retirees aren't computer savvy. Retiree council leaders agreed their members are online and hungry for meaningful information on issues like Medicare reform. E-mail has become a powerful communication tool.

That was one of many tips shared at NYSUT's first Retiree Council Presidents' Conference held before the Representative Assembly. Twenty-seven retiree council presidents attended the event, which included seminars on political action, how to recruit new members and using the computer as a retiree council tool.

John Cooney of Retiree Council No. 17 talked about how important it is to greet "freshman retirees," perhaps with a new member luncheon. Judy Schultz of Retiree Council No. 12 stressed maintaining a strong tie with in-service groups.

Pat Longo, NYSUT's manager of retiree services, said until now retiree council presidents from around the state met only occasionally, about three times in the last 12 years. Now, they'll meet regularly as part of the RA.

Retiree leaders praised NYSUT's training and a workshop roundtable on how to get the truth out about Medicare reform.

"We need to be updated on issues so we can inform our members," said Schultz.

NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin urged retirees to spread the word on a new law that allows pension deduction for VOTE-COPE contributions.

"In the first two weeks of the automatic deduction program, we got more than $50,000 in check-off pledges," Lubin said. "The response has been phenomenal."

"Getting together like this has been extremely helpful," said Rochester TA retiree John Rigney. "I feel like we really built a fellowship."