California retirees rally to help defeat special election agenda

Ethel McClatchey knew it was imperative that retirees get actively involved in the campaign against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s special election agenda. The slate of referendum measures endorsed by Schwarzenegger this past November would have weakened public employees’ ability to participate in the political process, lengthened the time teachers needed to earn permanent tenure, and provided the governor with unprecedented authority to cut state spending and programs.

“If the governor’s initiatives had succeeded, it would have given other states the wherewithal to try and push for the same thing in their states,” says McClatchey, the president of the emeritus chapter of the Los Angeles Faculty Guild, Local 1521.

McClatchey says she was most concerned about Proposition 75, which would have forced public service unions to obtain members’ permission each year to use dues for political campaigns.

“What right does the state government have to tell us how to run our union? It was a tactic by the governor to destroy the public employee union movement in California,” says McClatchey, who taught psychology for 17 years at Pierce College and retired as the faculty director of instructional television for the Los Angeles Community College District.

McClatchey used the Internet and e-mail to alert her members about the need to get involved in the union’s election activities. And the retirees responded, she reports. Many showed up to phonebank or man registration tables on college campuses, and most importantly, to vote on Election Day.

“We were all very nervous. We had no idea what would happen but we understood that the propositions would affect all union members,” says McClatchey.

Jacki Fox Ruby, retiree coordinator for the California Federation of Teachers, says retirees were out in force across the state to help the union educate members and their families to defeat the governor’s special interest agenda. The CFT retirees also coordinated their efforts with the California Alliance for Retired Americans and the Alliance for a Better California.

“As retirees, we still care about the profession. Who are we going to attract to the teaching profession if teachers have to wait five years to get tenure?” says Fox Ruby, who taught for 35 years.

Retirees also voiced concern about Proposition 76, which would have allowed the governor to cap state spending.

“We’ve seen in the past that most cuts would come from social programs like Medicaid or food stamps. That of course affects seniors,” says  Fox Ruby. “Seniors know the power of their vote. We want to preserve the things we were privileged to have—good public education and social infrastructure—for the generations that come next.”