REGION 8 RETIRED & OLDER WORKERS
Charles R. Alfred, Coordinator

Hello. My name is Charlie Alfred and I am the Regional Coordinator for UAW Region 8 retirees. I work out of the Region’s sub-regional office located in Baltimore, Maryland. Region 8 is made up of 12 states; they are Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. We have over 60,000 retirees residing in Region 8. Of that 60,000, nearly 30,000 have relocated to Region 8 from other Regions.

Across the 12 states in Region 8, we have 58 active Local Retiree Chapters, six (6) Area Councils and 13 International Retiree Councils.

The voluntary union dues are $2.00 per month. All retiree activities are funded from the $2.00 dues. The retirees are the backbone of this great union. They laid and built the foundation of this great UAW, and their efforts in the community and political arena are needed today to fight for social justice and rights for workers who follow us.

Our retirees are involved in all aspects of union activities with members serving as elected officers of Local Unions and CAP Councils throughout the Region. Others have been appointed or elected to serve various state organizations and executive boards of other senior organizations. If you do not currently attend retiree meetings, I urge you to do so. Be active and participate. If you need help in finding the chapter closest to you and the meeting date, please contact us.

We, as Union activists, face troubled times. We need your help. With the last election, our very way of life is in danger of collapse. We need all UAW Retirees, active members and their families to register and vote!

On behalf of Director Casteel, I want to personally thank the Chairpersons and leadership of the Region 8 International Retired Workers Councils and Chapters for their hard work during the Presidential election.

We cannot become discouraged and wait for another four (4) years. We must stay alert, watch for the issues that will have a profound impact on our lives and continue to write and call our representatives, both locally and nationally. Do not allow them to legislate our rights away. Watch for bills and issues concerning minimum wage, Social Security, overtime pay, Medicare and prescription drugs.

Remember to vote. In two (2) years, we will be electing many representatives to office. We must elect those who vote for working men and women’s issues.

We must rally and fight to continue to live with dignity and pride. Millions of seniors all over the country can’t afford to fill a prescription. It’s a sad day when an American worker has to take a bus to Canada to buy a drug to help them live, because the cost of that same drug in America is 33 to 84 percent higher. It’s time to hold the politicians liable for their campaign promises. We want and deserve prescription drugs on Medicare. We want a minimum wage which can support life. We want health care for our children, and we do not want to privatize our Social Security.

Register to vote! Demand the issues you deserve and put Congress on notice that we will no longer tolerate the excuses they put forth. Talk to the active workers in our plants. Talk to those retirees who think their pension and benefits are a gift from the company. Talk to our friends and neighbors who work for less than the wages they deserve, with no retirement, safety or voice in the workplace. Help us organize the workers throughout Region 8. Tell them not to work until they die or wish they could. Register to vote. Vote Union, Vote UAW! Be proud of who we are. We are the UAW!