(BUFFALO) - National Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara Easterling will be the featured speaker at the next Erie-Niagara Alliance for Retired Americans (ENCARA) meeting, which will be held at the Hearthstone Manor in suburban Cheektowaga on Friday, May 21st.
The event begins at 10 a.m. with a coffee reception, which will be followed and a morning session focusing on senior issues. The National Health Care fight is not over and the implementation timeline is in front of us, ENCARA representatives said, and strengthening and preserving Social Security and our pension plans is continuing to be a challenge.
ENCARA's customary luncheon buffet is scheduled for 12:15 p.m., and ENCARA is especially pleased that Ms. Easterling will join us and address our group.
Ms. Easterling leads the Alliance for Retired Americans on an aggressive campaign to educate both retirees and lawmakers on ways to strengthen Medicare, lower prescription drug costs and preserve Social Security for future generations. She's stated: "This is a critical time for our nation. Our economy is in crisis, and our Health Care System is in dire need of reform. It is more important than ever that we educate and mobilize retirees on these issues."
Prior to joining the Alliance, Ms. Easterling was the first woman ever to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) - its second highest office. In 1995, she became the first woman in history to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the 13-million-member National Federation of Labor Unions.
Launching her telephone career as an operator at Ohio Bell, and joining CWA Local 4302 in Akron, Ms. Easterling incorporated the strong principles of Trade Unionism she learned as a child growing up in a Polish family of coal miners and rubber workers in Akron, Ohio. In 1980, she came to Washington, D.C. to serve as an assistant to the president of CWA - a position she held until her election as executive vice president in 1985.
Meeting announcements and tickets have been mailed to all ENCARA affiliated groups. Anyone interested in attending the ENCARA event should contact ENCARA President Robert McCleery at 716-837-6522.
