On a beautiful, sunny April day, New Jersey Retirees’ Education Association (NJREA) members from around the state travelled to the Masonic Hall in Burlington County for the annual spring luncheon. Throughout the day, NJREA members had an opportunity to catch up with friends, share some laughs and conversations.
It was a bittersweet moment for many of the retirees, however, as NJREA President Joan Wright welcomed members to her final luncheon in that role. Wright congratulated the incoming NJREA officers and the newly elected NJEA Delegate Assembly representatives.
“The work must go on,” said Wright. “I have every confidence that these men and women will lead this organization with the same dedication and passion that I did.”
While delivering her president’s report, Wright recounted the success of NJREA’s participation in the NEA-Retired Summit and NJEA Women’s Celebration events in March. She also spoke of the importance of NJREA members engagement in the upcoming gubernatorial primary. Her remarks set the tone for a continuous message throughout the day: NJEA/NJREA members need to do everything possible to elect Sean Spiller as the Democratic candidate for governor.
“You have heard me say it before, and I will continue to say it until after Election Day: We need a governor who will stand with us and remember that our pensions and health benefits matter,” Wright continued. “We cannot leave these issues to chance.”
The right leadership matters
Mike Salerno, NJEA Associate Director of Research, spoke to the attendees about changes to dental plans, IRMMA and the $7.2 billion pension payment Gov. Murphy is proposing in the 2025-26 state budget. This pension payment will be Murphy’s sixth full pension payment and will bring the total of his pension contributions to a historic total of $47 billion. Moreover, he has again fulfilled his obligations to public employees by including monies in the budget for post-retirement health benefits.
Eloy Delgado, NJEA Associate Director of Government Relations, was emphatic in his message to elect Sean Spiller. He reminded the crowd of the long-lasting and harmful consequences of Chapter 78 to their pensions, post-retirement health benefits and the loss of their cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA) – all legislated by a governor who swore he would never touch the pension.
“When it comes to the things that matter to educators, it’s vital that we choose someone who identifies with us to make the decisions that affect us,” advised Delgado. “Why not have someone who sat in the faculty room, wrote lesson plans and filed grievances be that person?”
NJEA Vice President Steve Beatty and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson also addressed the crowd, thanking members for all they’ve contributed to public education. They, too, emphasized the importance of the gubernatorial primary, outlining it as a chance for active and retired public school employees to have someone who will stand up for their values.
“NJREA members deserve to have a governor who will respect all that they have done for public education,” said Beatty. “There has never been a more important time for members to utilize their power at the ballot box.”
Growing our power
NJEA Associate Director of Membership Eda Ferrante shared news about the upcoming “Caffeinated Conversations” events NJREA members can host throughout the state—thanks to a $8,500 National Education Association (NEA) grant—providing another opportunity to connect with non-members and encourage them to join the retired organization.
Kitty Sausa, NJREA president-elect, spoke about the current membership count. As of last month, there were just over 23,000 NJREA members, which is a slight decrease over last year. Sausa urged attendees to continue to reach out to former colleagues to urge them to join, announcing that a campaign to increase membership will be an organizational priority moving forward.
“Everyone of us can reach out to a former colleague or two and encourage them to join NJREA, said Sausa. “Together, we can grow our power and maintain a strong, unified organization for public school retirees.”
