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The North Texas United Autoworkers of America Area Retirees Council, at its regular meeting on August 26, called for a Retiree Candidate Forum to held from 10 AM to noon on September 9th at UAW 276 hall at 2505 W. E. Roberts Street, Grand Prairie, TX 75051. Some maps still show the street by its old name, Sherman.
The motion for the forum was voted in unanimously by the retiree leaders representing UAW Locals in North Texas. Previous discussion on the upcoming election and the critical importance of retiree issues led to the decision. Retirees have a life-or-death stake in the issues of health care, pensions, and Social Security. Often, candidates may choose to emphasize other issues and may not be completely clear where they stand on what matters to retirees. Getting the campaigns clear on retiree issues is a very worthwhile goal, and retiree leaders from the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans are encouraging retirees to hold candidate forums across the state.
Sister Jo Cole and other Houston activists are planning a special meeting for September 25th at the Communication Workers (CWA) hall in Houston.
The format for the September 9th meeting will consist of a panel of retirees asking direct questions to the candidates who think enough of retiree voters to make an appearance. Photos and notes will be used to disseminate in every publication possible. The Auto Workers Union has a Region 5 newspaper deadline of September 15, which is espected to carry coverage of the September 9 event.
Longtime retiree leader Robert Aday pointed out that "News stations, nearly every one of them, are anti-labor," consequently, union news information services will be very important. Aday pointed to the importance of educating everybody about union and retiree issues in general: "Younger People have not a clue," he said. "They think all these benefits were given to them by the company!"
The Candidate's Forum will take the place of the regular September
meeting of UAW Area Retirees. It is open to everyone concerned about retiree
issues.
Pictured are top officers of the North Texas UAW Area Retirees Council: Treasurer Fred Milholland, President Mary Holomek, and Secretary Junior Baker.
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