As part of the retiree lifestyle change Anne and I are down to one car.
We traded in her ten-year old Accord and my six-year convertible Mini Cooper for a 2013 Honda CRV. Ulysses loves riding in the back. I shed a tear when they drove my Mini away.
One car for two active people means the shared calendar on our smart phones must be up to date. Every new entry must note if a car is needed. In the warm weather neighborhood tasks can be done with my Schwinn. But it is November and the Hawk has arrived.
Yesterday Anne had dibs on the car and I had a meeting at the IEA office in Skokie.
I checked the CTA website. I could take the bus which stops a block from my house, transfer to the Red Line north to Howard. At Howard I could transfer to the CTA train called the Skokie Swift to the end of the line at Dempster. Three blocks from the IEA office.
Cost with a senior CTA pass: $1.10 one way. Time of travel: 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Yesterday’s meeting was sponsored by our new IEA Retired chapter, the Skokie Organization of Retired Educators (SORE). We are less than six months old in a region of the state with among the largest concentration of retired teachers. Until we created it, IEA Retired had no presence in the area that has three IEA Regions.
Since we started: A luncheon with the area Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. A widely covered protest at the district’s State Senator Dan Biss’ office. And yesterday, a meeting on the complicated new health care plan for state retirees.
For yesterday’s meeting with TRIP’s Outreach Director Rich Frankenfeld we had planned for 30 people and got RSVPs from 50 people. 80 people crowded into the room.
Although we have received great assistance from the Skokie office staff, IEA Retired staff and IEA Retired leaders, the IEA leadership barely acknowledges our existence. For example, our protest at pension-bomber Dan Biss’ office got big press coverage in the local media, but was ignored by IEA Communications Director Charlie McBarron in the daily news reports that appear on the IEA website. Other than a letter from Executive Director Audrey Soglin notifying us that the IEA board of directors had agreed to give us a charter, we have heard nothing from leadership.
No matter. We know from experience that nobody will fight for us but us.
We are building an IEA Retired chapter that provides information and services to our members and engages in political activism.
And if you build it they will come.
Some of us on the Skokie Swift.
Fred Klonsky 
Again…thank you.
Sent from my iPad Mca
It seems that the IEA leadership is much more focused on actives than retirees. We need to support the efforts of IRTA to protect our retirement benefits.
Both Phil. IEA will not pay attention to retiree concerns unless there is a strong contingent of retired members demanding it.
Once again, Fred, thanks! TREMENDOUS (not yelling–can’t import boldface!) turnout yesterday–worth breaking a nail lugging chairs.(& a special shout-out to Cris for all her help!) Even though I live closer to Wilmette & the Linden Purple Line, I will ALWAYS drive to the Swift–best transportation EVER! And I’ve always found that whoever CTA employees are on duty at the Dempster Station are most helpful & courteous.
Not looking forward to trying out Ventra, though.
Last–but certainly not least–yes, we retirees should belong to both IEA AND IRTA–in numbers (& activism–oops–sorry–I mean advocacy)there is strength, & we retirees must command attention at every level of the IEA/NEA (local, state AND national). At this point, I’d urge everyone in the northern suburbs to join our S.O.R.E. (Skokie Organization of Retired Educators). Whle you’re at it, join North Lake Shore RTA (IRTA local) as well. Both of our organizations are beacons of advocacy, and not just for retirees. And–might I add–we’re in it to win it.
I would have come over to the office to film the thing but I’m still workin for the man at 1pm . As for the Skokie Swift, I refer to it as “bullet train speed, roller coaster fun.”