MEA Retired
The MEA-Retired mission: Protecting members' health care and pension benefits, promoting public education
Members keep ‘going and going’ and never stop caring.
Three former presidents of MEA-Retired
marvel at the growth and accomplishments
of their organization that celebrates
its 25th anniversary this year.
The trio will be attending the highlight observance of the yearlong silver anniversary celebration—MEA-Retired’s annual meeting April 16 in Lansing.
In fact, Ann Speicher of Sault Ste. Marie, Phyllis Rule of Lansing and Barb Brotherton of Grand Rapids helped plan the silver anniversary fete and remain active in MEA-Retired to this day.
“One of the biggest steps forward I have seen is the growth in the MEA-Retired chapters (now 30) in the state,” said Speicher, who headed MEA-Retired from 1987 to 1991. “The local chapters give our members the chance to meet on a regular basis, to socialize, and to keep up-to-date on state and national news that impacts retirees.”
The 27-year junior high school teacher and counselor said MEA-Retired continues working to improve public education and to protect the health benefits and pensions retirees have earned and deserve.
“We have a lot of very dedicated people who have spent their lives working to make positive things happen for students,” she said. “And, of course, we must keep fighting to prevent further erosion of our benefits.”
Working together as one voice
Rule, MEA-Retired president from 1993 to 1999, said MEA school retirees “keep going and going and accomplishing and accomplishing.”
She hopes that spirit continues with the next generation of MEA-Retired members.
“I know we have a feeling of obligation to keep going and try to make things better for others, because those who came before us accomplished so much for us.”
Rule wants to see current MEA active members and MEA-Retired members work as one voice toward the same goals—protecting retirees’ benefits and continuing to improve public education.
“I’m hoping today’s public school employees will become active in MEA-Retired. You get a real personal connection to it.”
AIM boosts, unites membership
Brotherton, MEA-Retired president
from 1999 to 2007, points to All Inclusive
Membership (AIM) as a turning point
for both MEA and MEA-Retired. AIM,
a proposal adopted by an overwhelming
margin at the Spring Representative
Assembly in 2003 and launched in 2004,
encourages current school employees to
join MEA-Retired.
“This united our MEA family—actives and retirees—in one voice on the issues that affect public education and school employees. Now, we’re more aware of each others’ concerns.”
Brotherton said the boost in MEA-Retired membership because of AIM gives the organization more clout. MEA-Retired now numbers 28,000 fully retired members and more than 100,000 current school employees who are fully paid or making monthly payments on their lifetime membership fee to MEA-Retired.
“Retirees don’t stop caring,” she said. “AIM gives us a stronger voice.”