Prez Sez – December 2022
By Paul Fong This has been an eventful year for the Retiree Chapter. We hired an attorney to look at the bylaws of the RBOA group that handles the retiree health benefits of those hired before 1982. The attorney even provided some pro bono hours for his service. We have submitted the attorney’s findings to […]
Retirement Board Report
By Patrick Butler The RBOA (Retirement Board of Authority) consists of three management positions, three members appointed by the CSEA, and three appointed by AFT 6157, who are Jessica Breheny, David Yancey, and yours truly, Patrick Butler. There are also staff members who are paid by the RBOA Trust to serve that committee in its […]
Walking for the Best Candidates to Serve as SJECCD Trustees
by Ronald Levesque The least well-known or scrutinized candidates on the local ballot might be ones running to serve as a community college trustee. Some may be running unopposed and are, of course, elected. For those of us who have worked on a campus such as Evergreen Valley College or San Jose City College, the […]
Celebrating 15 Years!
By Ron Levesque The Retiree Chapter, AFT 6157R, was officially chartered on December 1, 2007. On December 1, 2022, AFT 6157 celebrated the 15th Anniversary of our Retiree Chapter, AFT 6157R. Executive Director Phil Hu presented a plaque to our board. It reads: “AFT 6157 thanks you for 15 years of dedication to our retired […]
Introducing Kathy Jasper
Hello Fellow Retirees: I am looking forward to serving as the secretary on AFT6157-R’s Executive Board. After retiring last December, I joined our local AFT Retiree group to work on issues that affect particularly part-timers, and to enjoy social activities with likeminded people. One part timer issue is the Windfall Elimination Program (WEP) and Government […]
Legislative Update on Retirement Issues
By Kathy Jasper Earlier this year, I became aware of the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) when its representatives were invited by our AFT 6157 Executive Director Phil Hu to make a presentation, which I attended. CalRTA’s mission is to protect and advocate for retired and active educators’ pensions and other retirement benefits and to […]
Our farmworkers are being sexually assaulted and poisoned on the job
Why aren’t we helping them? By Ann Aurelia López Source: Lookout Santa Cruz, November 29, 2022 Summary: Thousands of female farmworkers are regularly being assaulted, groped and raped in Santa Cruz County fields, without consequence, argues Ann Aurelia López, executive director of the Center for Farmworker Families. The women regularly call López for help, but […]
Riding the California Zephyr from Denver!
By Patrick Butler Denver was well worth the three days and four nights my wife Karen and I recently spent there. We stayed at the Oxford Hotel, which was built in 1891 and is surrounded by some good restaurants. The hotel housed a popular speakeasy during prohibition and I am sure my maternal grandfather, a […]
In Memoriam: George Stevenson Holeman
From The Union, Nevada County, California May 29, 1926 – July 2, 2021 George Stevenson Holeman, Jr. (Steve) passed away peacefully and painlessly in his own home on July 2, 2021. He was 95. Per his request there will be no memorial service. He had a huge celebration with family and friends on his 90th […]
In Memoriam: Joseph Zirker
Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jul. 6, 2022. Renowned artist and printmaker Joseph Zirker, passed away on June 25, two months shy of his 98th birthday in Redwood City, California. Joseph Zirker was born on August 13,1924 to Clarence Harold Zirker and Lillian Rappaport Zirker, in Los Angeles California. Zirker was a renowned and […]