• Opposition to Social Security Privatization Hardens
• Major Washington Rally for Social Security April 26
• NYSUT Launches ‘Save Social Security’ Project
• Pfizer Suspends Sales of Cox-2 Inhibitor Bextra
• Schwarzenegger Hits the Pause Button
  on Pension ‘Reform’
• Alliance Social Security Truck Tour Ends;
  Video on the Way
• Wisconsin Alliance Chartered
• Former AFT Civil Rights Director
  Barbara Van Blake Dies
• Save on Hotels with AFT PLUS
• Discount Drug Offer from the Alliance
• Quote of Note
• Web site of the Week: http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/

OPPOSITION TO SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION HARDENS
The public relations machine behind the Bush administration's tightly choreographed conversations on Social Security orchestrated a visit to the home of the Social Security Trust Fund in Parkersburg, W. Va., on April 5. With the press corps surrounding him, the president posed next to a file cabinet at the Bureau of Public Debt, which houses Treasury securities comprising Social Security's $1.7 trillion surplus. Addressing a friendly crowd later in the day at the University of West Virginia, President George Bush said Americans were wrong to assume that surplus payroll taxes were being saved for future retirement. Instead, he stated, "there is no trust," admitting the government uses the surplus to fund other programs. In actuality, the president is suggesting the federal government might, for the first time ever, default on U.S. Treasury bonds where the surplus payroll taxes reside. Such a move would gravely damage our nation’s credit both at home and abroad. Foreigners now hold 80 percent of U.S. debt. The Bush administration is halfway through a 60-day drive to drum up public support for a radical overhaul of Social Security to include private accounts paid for by the payroll tax. After more than 100 events in 32 states, President Bush's disapproval rating on Social Security is the highest of his presidency at 57 percent, according to a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.

RALLY TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY SET FOR
APRIL 26
Americans United to Protect Social Security, a nonpartisan national campaign to strengthen traditional Social Security, has scheduled a series of rallies April 26, the day President Bush's 60-day marathon for private accounts concludes. The centerpiece is a mammoth rally in Washington, D.C, on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol at 1 p.m. AUPSS, which is focused on defeating privatization of Social Security, is strongly supported by the AFL-CIO, the AFT and the Alliance for Retired Americans, and other activist groups. AUPSS has extended invitations to representatives and senators of both parties who have not declared their support for private accounts. Leaders of national labor, senior, civil rights and women's groups also are expected to attend. Since the beginning of the year, AUPSS and its sister organization, Protect Your Check, have been combining grass-roots mobilization and TV, radio, print and Internet advertising to educate Americans on the success of the current Social Security system and the dangers of privatization. For more details on the Social Security issue, go to http://www.aft.org/topics/social-security/index.htm.

NYSUT LAUNCHES 'SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY' PROJECT
New York State United Teachers kicked its statewide campaign to strengthen Social Security into high gear at its April 7-9 Representative Assembly, where the political action center was turned into "Bush's Social Security Casino." Thousands of delegates and guests sent postcards to federal representatives; signed a petition urging the New York congressional delegation to reject plans to privatize Social Security; and tried their luck on a roulette wheel that will demonstrate just how average workers will fare under Bush's plan to replace traditional Social Security with private investment accounts. Computers linked visitors with U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer's "insecurity calculator" to see how they would personally be affected by Bush's plan. Executive vice president Alan Lubin unveiled a 13-minute video designed for younger workers, featuring comedian Al Franken. Later in the spring, NYSUT will sponsor a speakers’ bureau for groups interested in learning more about the dangers of privatizing Social Security.

PFIZER SUSPENDS SALES OF COX-2
INHIBITOR BEXTRA
On April 7, giant drugmaker Pfizer announced it was suspending sales of the COX-2 inhibitor Bextra in the United States and European Union. The move came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators requested that the painkiller be withdrawn due to potential safety risks. The FDA cited the increased risk for serious skin reactions among patients who take Bextra. The agency said that the potential safety risks of Bextra outweigh benefits for patients. The company urged patients to stop taking Bextra and contact their doctors about appropriate alternatives. The FDA also requested that manufacturers of other COX-2 inhibitors and over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs revise product labels to include the strongest possible warnings about increased risk of heart attack, stroke and internal bleeding. Merck, another drug giant, voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from the market in September 2004. In February, an FDA advisory committee recommended that Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex, a second COX-2 inhibitor manufactured by Pfizer, remain on the market but include strong warnings about potential safety risks.

More info: http://www.fda.gov/cder

SCHWARZENEGGER HITS THE PAUSE BUTTON ON PENSION 'REFORM'
First the good news: Coming under fire from public employees' unions, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said April 7 that he would drop his high-priority plan to radically restructure California's public pension funds through a ballot initiative. Now the bad news: Schwarzenegger said it was only temporary. Instead of pushing forward with the statewide vote to end defined-benefit pension plans for all state public employees hired in 2007 and beyond, the governor said, he will work with legislators and local police and fire officials to refine his pension proposal and clear up what he called “misconceptions.” He left open the possibility of reviving the ballot initiative for next year if the talks are unproductive. But union leaders, including California Federation of Teachers president Mary Bergan, said they would continue to oppose any proposal to switch from a guaranteed-benefit program such as California’s to a defined-contribution system like the one the governor is proposing because workers bear the entire risk. Opinion polls in the state showed at first that the public was interested, but enthusiasm has waned. The immediate sticking point was the uncertainty about whether the Schwarzenegger plan would include death and disability benefits. The governor is still pushing for a $70 million special election to vote on several other seriously flawed initiatives such as merit pay, an end to tenure and loosening of limits on class size and staffing levels. These initiatives would harm teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, consumers and working families. The postponement of the change in the pension system was the biggest blow dealt to Schwarzenegger by organized labor since he took office in October 2003 in a recall election.

http://www.atr.org/content/html/2005/apr/040705pr-pensn_statemnt.html

ALLIANCE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUCK TOUR ENDS;
VIDEO ON THE WAY
The Alliance for Retired Americans flatbed truck carrying more than a million messages to Congress from seniors against privatizing Social Security ended its tour April 1, visiting 20 congressional districts and six states. The tour began March 21 in Florida and ended April 1 in Pennsylvania. The truck tour also traveled to North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and New York. At rallies in each state, local Alliance leaders and seniors who signed the "Don't Privatize Social Security" petition delivered the names of local petitioners, collected by the Alliance in recent months, to each representative and senator. Plans are on the drawing board for a second tour in the Midwest. In addition, the Alliance will soon release a 15-minute video featuring academy-award-winning actor Olympia Dukakis outlining the pitfalls of President Bush’s drive to privatize Social Security.

WISCONSIN ALLIANCE CHARTERED
Hundreds of Wisconsin seniors gathered for the founding of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans (WI ARA) March 14. Leon Burzynski, a retired electrician, was elected the first president of WI ARA. AFT Wisconsin retiree leader Buzz Davis was elected executive vice president. WI ARA received strong support from both AFT Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.

FORMER AFT CIVIL RIGHTS DIRECTOR BARBARA
VAN BLAKE DIES
Barbara Van Blake, 63, the AFT's director of human rights and community relations for more than 17 years before she retired in 2002, died April 1 at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C. She had been hospitalized for complications of diabetes. Van Blake came to the AFT in September 1975 from the Duval County Federation of Teachers in Florida, where she taught junior and senior high school math and was an AFT member for 12 years. At the AFT, Van Blake served as the liaison to the NAACP, the A. Philip Randolph Institute and many other civil rights and women's rights organizations. She was honored by more than 350 civil rights and labor activists at a tribute in Washington, D.C., in July 2003. Van Blake is survived by her daughter, Lanese Simmons, a granddaughter, Ashley Patricia Simmons, two sisters and two brothers. Memorial contributions can be made to: The Education Fund of Corinthian Baptist Church, 500 I St. N.W., Washington, DC 20002; the Building Fund of the National Council of Negro Women, 633 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20004; or the Education Department of the NAACP, 4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215. Condolences may be sent to: The Family of Barbara Van Blake, 4417 7th St. N.E., Washington, DC 20017.

SAVE ON HOTELS WITH AFT PLUS
As you prepare for your spring and summer travel, AFT PLUS has a great offer for you. AFT members receive discounts up to 20 percent and more off the regular rate at thousands of hotels around the country. The discounts are available at AmeriHost Inn, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Ramada, Super 8, Travelodge and Wingate Inn chains. To check rates and make reservations, call the hotels directly and make sure that you mention the AFT PLUS discount code 20952. For more information, call 800/238-1133, ext. 8643, or visit http://www.aft.org/aftplus/travel/hotel.htm.

DISCOUNT DRUG OFFER FROM THE ALLIANCE
Canada Discount Rx, in cooperation with the Alliance for Retired Americans, is offering great savings on hundreds of brand-name medications. Shop and compare at one of Canada's most respected and trusted pharmacies. A complete “how to” guide including prices and order forms is available for Alliance members, including all AFT retirees. Learn more about ordering your prescription medication from Canada and stop paying inflated prices for your good health. Visit http://www.canadadiscountrx.com/alliance or call toll free at 866/680-6337. 

QUOTE OF NOTE
"Governor Schwarzenegger has seen the writing on the wall and is backing off his poorly considered pension initiative. But he is still determined to eliminate the security of our defined-benefit pensions. We can smile for a moment at this announcement, but we can’t relax our efforts to inform the public about the governor’s bad policy ideas."

—Mary Bergan, President
California Federation of Teachers

WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/  
The federal government has launched Hospital Compare, a new Web site providing information on hospitals' compliance with 17 widely used quality measures in treating heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. Hospital Compare contains data from all but about 60 of the nation's 4,200 general hospitals. Users can compare information from individual hospitals with state and national averages and data from other institutions. Hospitals, however, are not ranked on the Hospital Compare site, although several consumer Web sites are expected to use the data to develop hospital ratings.

Do you have any ideas for stories, suggestions, event announcements or campaign reports? If so, please e-mail them to us at RETIREES@aft.org.