2005 FLARA EB MEETING IN PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL

President Jack Gose, APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter, AFL-CIO, and 2nd Vice President, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) creates Political and Legislative displays with FREE photos everywhere he goes in Florida and all over the country similar to this one at the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans quarterly Executive Board meeting held at Doubletree Hotel, 4431 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, FL on Mon., Nov. 28, 2005 to build enthusiasm and record history for all ages to feel and visualize. (Photo taken with a Kodak Flash 800 Speed Camera by Jack Gose)
FLARA QUARTERLY EB MEETS ON MON., NOV. 28, 2005

All 3000 APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter members/families are invited to the next Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) Executive Board Meeting and Rally to be held at the Doubletree Hotel Palm Beach Gardens located at 4431 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens on Monday, November 28, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The FLARA Board of Directors consists of seventy-two (72) members representing all areas of Florida. Quarterly Executive Board meetings are held around the state in different locations every three (3) months. FLARA hosts an annual Convention and a Legislative Conference in Tallahassee each year also. We look forward to seeing you at the end of November in West Palm Beach area!

If you are interested in attending this quarterly meeting on November 28, call Doubletree Hotel at Palm Beach Gardens 561-622-2260 or toll-free 1-800-445-2260 and ask for the FLARA special group rate of $89.00 plus tax per night for FLARA members. Please arrive on Sunday, November 27, 2005 and check in after 3 pm at the hotel. Contact Jack Gose at 727-343-2998 home phone or E-mail me at
jak.gose@excite.com for an update and any suggestions you might have for a more successful Board meeting, planning for major events in 2006! If you have any questions or comments, please phone President Tony Fransetta at the FLARA office, 12773 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 211, Wellington, FL at 561-792-8799, E-mail at FLARA@fdn.com or go online to www.flara.org for more information to stir up your interest and enthusiasm!

BIG QUESTION: TO RETIRE OR TO CONTINUE WORKING!

An estimated 77 million Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, ages 41 to 59 in 2005, are nearing retirement in the United States. Permission to reproduce excerpts from an Issue Brief written and researched by Diana Porter, Director of Policy, Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) in Washington, D.C., has been granted by the ARA Educational Fund. If Baby Boomers work longer, they will consume more products, add to national productivity, continue paying income and payroll taxes, contribute to economic growth, and have more time to save money for retirement.

The labor force rate for workers age 55 and over is expected to increase four times that of the overall labor group in the next several years. By 2012, when Baby Boomers are 48-66, women and men age 55 and older will account for one-third (33 %) of the 310 million United States population and nearly one in five workers, or 19 %. The median age of the labor force is projected to be 41.4 years in 2012, nearly 7 years higher than it was 30 years ago in 1982 when the median age was 35 years.

Women in the labor force continues to increase, rising from 53 % in 1982 to 60 % in 2002, and projected to be 62 percent in 2012. The participation rate of women ages 55 to 64 years has risen more dramatically, from 42 % in 1982 to 55 % in 2002, and projected to be 61 percent in 2012. When Women Work, Women Win!

A shortage of 10 million workers by 2010 should be a NO-BRAINER to continue the involvement of older workers in the labor force, as the population over age 65 will double in 2010 over what it is in 2005. Continued labor shortages are anticipated because the generation following the Baby Boomers is substantial fewer in numbers, due largely to a decline in the fertilities rate since the 1970’s, to two (2) children per woman of child bearing age.

WHAT DO MID-LIFE AND OLDER WORKERS WANT? One survey by AARP in 2004 found that 79 percent plan to work during their retirement years, including 30 percent plan to work part-time for enjoyment, 25 percent part-time for needed income, 15 percent plan to start a business, and 7 percent plan to work full-time at a new job, and finally, 21 percent have no plans to work in retirement. Physical and mental health, lack of quality health insurance, job stress, transportation, employment status of a spouse, and care-giving responsibilities are among the many factors that may influence the decision to retire completely.

Seventy-six percent (76 %) of workers ages 50 to 65 who plan to retire after age 65 identify the need for money as a major reason to work in retirement. No one should be denied a job, laid off or passed over for opportunities because of their age. Despite the Age Discrimination Act of 1967, which prohibits workplace discrimination against persons age 40 and older, the Golden Ceiling of Age Discrimination still exists in America today. United Technologies Corp. spends 60 million dollars annually on its employee scholar program, which pays the costs of workers of any age who study in their spare time.

The full eligibility age, or normal retirement age, for Social Security benefits is being raised from 65 to 67 from year 2000 to 2022. In 2005, the eligibility age for full Social Security benefits is 65 years and 6 months. Some enlightened employers and governments are developing policies and practices that enable people to work longer, if they choose to voluntarily. RETIRING INTO WORK is one of several issues that should be considered at the White House Conference on Aging scheduled for December 11-14, 2005 in Washington, D.C. President Tony Fransetta, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, has been appointed by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to this National Conference. He has already attended several meetings of the National Conference, and if you have any questions or suggestions, phone him at 561-792-8799!

HOW TO KEEP ACTIVE WITH APWU IN RETIREMENT!

Join the National APWU Retirees Department, 1300 L Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20005 by phoning Toll-Free 877-APWU-NOW or 877-279-8669 to continue your membership with the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO.
Three National APWU Retiree Department dues payment options are currently open to the membership:

(1) $24.00 year or $2.00 monthly union dues on APWU Retired Member Form 1187.

(2) Full APWU union dues to National APWU and APWU Area Local/Local.

(3) Full APWU union dues to National APWU and Retiree Dept. $24.00 year.

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