Retirees got their story out

Retirees got their story out

EDITOR:

The March for America’s Future organized by the GM Delphi Retirees Association (GMDRA) was held on Aug. 20 at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Our peaceful demonstration was everything the organizing committee promised retirees and the Mill Creek Park police it would be.

This demonstration proved to us to be a great opportunity for GM Delphi Retirees to tell our story to leaders attending the Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman’s Annual Dinner.

Since the event we have gotten many phone calls and e-mails of support.It was apparent to many retirees that some of the elected officials had no idea of the magnitude of the actions taken by the Automotive Task Force or of the economic impact leveled at 70,000 people in three key democratic states.

Every night around our kitchen table we discuss the involvement of the U.S. government in the GM bankruptcy which stripped IUE-CWA retirees of our pension income, life insurance and health care. It is a very important topic for our families as we try to figure out together how we will continue to provide for ourselves, help our aged parents, unemployed adult children with food and shelter in addition to sending aid to our grandchildren away at war.

We know the story and all of the complexities associated with the GM Delphi bankruptcy very well. Our statewide elected representatives were informed of our personal and financial situation and many listened intently.

Hopefully our elected leadership will delve into those complexities for us and help us achieve fair and equitable treatment just like the UAW retirees.

Not everyone in our community cares to understand this complex situation, which was apparent us on Thursday as some of the dinner guests hurried to get their expensive foreign cars past the police barricade and into the parking lot without so much as a glance in our direction.

DONNA BOBECK

GM Delphi Retirees Association

Girard

X Co-signers of the letter were Beth Reese, Chuck Baker, Frank and Dris Toth, Nick Frangos and Jerry Holmes.

Retirees given assurances

EDITOR:

As an attendee of the Democratic fund raiser at Fellows Riverside Garden last Thursday, my hat is off to Atty. David Betras, Mahoning County Party chair, for providing a forum for the Delphi salaried and hourly retirees to present their concerns over loss of pension, health care and life insurance benefits.

Four Delphi retiree representatives, two salary and two hourly, were able to speak directly with our representatives during the function while approximately 300 retirees held an informational rally outside that was respectful and orderly while still getting their message across.

Most of the elected officials came out to talk to the crowd. They heard about the loss of pension income to this Valley, which will well exceed $100 million a year. When all the numbers are in, the statistics should make any business person, home owner, charity organization, school board, hospital, taxpayer and state and local official shudder.

We received a commitment that night that our governor would contact the president and many of our representatives have pledged to do all they can to do, including a congressional investigative hearing to shine the spot light on this injustice.

MARY ANN HUDZIK

Vice Chair, Delphi Salaried Retiree Legislative Group

Warren