NYC Public Service Retirees Unveil Giant 65th Birthday Card for NYC Mayor Adams
Group Invites Mayor to Join Their Organization
Asks Mayor to Support City Council Bill to Protect Retiree Health Insurance
Editor’s note: We previously interviewed Marianne Pizzitola about the latest updates, including losing the case at New York’s highest state court level, very disappointingly. Now all eyes turn to the election, before which the mayor could bring retirees to his side by pushing for the passage of this important bill to guarantee that retirees will always have access to the healthcare choices they had just before 2021, when the changes to copays were implemented.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today, New York City’s public service retirees come together at City Hall to celebrate Mayor Adams 65th trip around the sun with a giant birthday card and special request: support Intro 1096! This City Council bill put forth by Councilmember Christopher Marte, District One, and co-sponsored by Councilmember Robert Holden, District 3, is the key to permanent protection for the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of retired city workers who currently rely on Medicare. As of today, Mayor Adams has become one of us. When he completes his city service he’ll also rely on Medicare.
“The mayor is no longer on the sidelines in this shameful attempt to undermine healthcare for retirees,” said Marianna Pizzitola, President, NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees which represents more than 250,000 city retirees. “His insurance is also in the crosshairs now. He has said he will support us. Now is the time to SHOW us he will support us by backing intro 1096!”
Health insurance for scores of the city’s most senior retirees has become a political pawn in recent years. Unscrupulous union bigwigs and their elected allies have championed a switch to private insurance in the name of alleged cost-savings. Their proposal is a for-profit alternative run by Aetna, deceptively called “Medicare Advantage.” It is anything but. And of course, dollar-for-dollar, it does not save the taxpayer a single penny. “Advantage” does, ironically, diminish the quality of medical coverage and access for the retirees who need it most. Meanwhile, our members, many with pensions of under $26,000, are relying on food pantries for assistance and faced with the choice of deferring medical care.
In recent weeks, Mayor Adams has expressed support for ending this attack on retirees and retaining their well-earned Medicare. We thank him. He now has a vested interest in following through on his words with tangible action. Supporting Intro 1096 is the best course of action.
New York City’s retired workforce showed up for New Yorkers every day for decades. As they grow older, now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them. Join us in championing Intro 1096. Everyone knows someone affected by this. Support your neighbor, your relative, your fifth-grade teacher – along with every firefighter, police officer, and sanitation worker who made a difference serving this city!
###
About NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
In the aftermath of the proposed Medicare bait-and-switch by the prior administration, this organization was formed to give the otherwise silent and unrepresented retirees a voice. Many tens of thousands strong, we have now grown into a force for resistance against any effort to diminish our medical insurance. We proudly stand at the forefront of accountability – speaking truth to power against those who seek to sell out those who have upheld their oath and their promise to serve.
Marianne Pizzitola NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
On August 13th, 2021, a group of retirees from many different city agencies got together to form an organization to fight the impending changes to our healthcare. Two and half hours later, five people volunteered to form the Board and one became an advisor to the Board. In the next few weeks, we grew to five officers, four Trustees, five Advisors, started our Facebook group, filed for NYS incorporation, opened our PayPal fundraising account and were approved by the State to conduct business. Six weeks later we met our initial fundraising goal to pay the attorney's retainer and had filed our article 78 petition. Our Facebook page has over 18,000 members and we have an email list of almost 10,000 and both continue to grow. This is a major accomplishment! But we need to grow larger. We need to reach 250,000 retirees!