Union Retirees Honor Activists on the Front Lines

“Organize, mobilize, agitate” was the watchword from Alliance for Retired Americans director Rich Fiesta at the packed awards luncheon of Connecticut ARA.

The room was filled with retirees active to protect social security, medicare, medicaid and all hard won rights. A special celebration hailed three years of organizing, initiated by CT ARA, that won repeal of WEP/GPO. No longer would public sector workers be denied full Social Security benefits if they held second jobs. President Joe Biden was introduced at the signing ceremony by CT ARA president Bette Marafino. Appreciation was shown to the leaders of the grass roots campaign at the luncheon. CT AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne praised the retirees as the backbone of the labor movement.

Accepting the Charlene Block Award, State Rep Jan Hochadel , also president of AFT Connecticut, reaffirmed her fight for and with seniors and working people.

The Kevin Lynch award was presented to Tom Connolly for his years of leadership in the labor movement. Excerpts of his inspiring call to action follow:

Tom Connolly: Unite, Fight, Win

Dr. Martin Luther King warned us of the possibility of a “native form of fascism in America.” And that is what the Trump/MAGA agenda is attempting

to do.

As we sit here today, someone — somewhere — is being zip tied and taken away by heavily armed masked ICE agents with no due process and shipped off to prison. We have deep cuts coming to SNAP food stamps and Medicaid — so the rich can get richer.

They’re firing and stripping labor contracts from our union sisters and brothers at the federal level, dismantling the NLRB, and threatening the 2026 elections through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and using military force in our cities.

Project 2025, funded by millionaires and billionaires, is designed to hold power — at any cost. Lying, cheating, stripping rights, blocking democracy — it’s all part of their plan.

One thing we know for sure: If we roll over and do nothing — they will roll right over us. We are not going to let that happen. We are going to fight. We are going to unite. And we are going to win.

We’ve already seen what unity can do. On October 18th, over 7 million people took part in the NO KINGS Rally, joined by millions more around the globe. We are not alone.

Look at this tremendous ARA victory — winning the fight to repeal WEP / GPO impacting the lives of hundreds or thousands of people. Many thought it was impossible — but it happened through organizing. When ARA won — they didn’t quit. They reorganized now to protect income security.

Another example is my retiree union, CSEA Retirees Council 400, where I had the honor of serving as Vice President of our 12,000-member organization and now chair our Legislative Action Committee. What holds us together is what keeps us alive — our pensions, our healthcare, and Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

But we also have to look beyond just one contract or one campaign. On the national level, the Trump/MAGA fascist agenda continues. SNAP, food stamps cuts, go into effect next month. That’s why groups like the CT for All Coalition matter. It brings together labor, community, and faith organizations to fight for taxing wealth to meet the needs of multi-racial working-class and disenfranchised — and linking our local fights to the larger national struggle.

We have to come together because if every working person’s boat isn’t lifted, those left behind become easy targets for Trump’s lies — that he cares about them, and unions don’t. We know that’s not true. But we have to show it’s not true — by standing and fighting with others.

There is an even broader fight. Capitalism works for billionaires but it disenfranchises us. If we learned anything from Project 2025 it’s that this system is for the few—it’s not for the many. We the many can win big changes for our rights and future if we organize, and stand in solidarity, we can even put socialism on the agenda.

Back in the 1970s I joined the anti-poverty movement, and stayed in it for the rest of my life. Someone invited me to New Haven to hear a candidate running for Congress on the Communist Party USA ticket — Joelle Fishman. She spoke softly but with conviction: “We have to tax the rich, cut the military budget, meet community needs, protect labor rights, and end racism and other forms of discrimination.” When she finished, I said, where do I sign? That vision — that hope — gives me the strength to see the light at the end of the tunnel to solve some major problems.

I accept this award not just for myself, but for all of us — for everyone who fights, organizes, and believes that we can create a world with true liberty and justice for all. Thank you and let’s continue to take care of each other and go out and MAKE GOOD TROUBLE!