Frank Lumpkin receiving the Pioneer Award

Frank Lumpkin, USWA Founder

I’ll never forget the day (several years ago), when, after meeting with the SOAR Chapter that used to meet in the old local 65 hall in Chicago, I noticed the sign on the door of Frank Lumpkin’s SOJ (Save Our Jobs Committee).  I had to scratch my head trying to figure out why two retirees organizations were meeting separately, right down the hall from each other, while sharing the same building. 

After meeting Bea Lumpkin and Frank Lumpkin at an Alliance for Retired Americans Conference in Washington, D.C. and reading her book, “Always bring a crowd”, I realized that Frank Lumpkin was a Steelworker Pioneer and a Founder of our United Steelworkers of America Union.

This photo is of Frank being awarded the USWA Union Pioneer Award. What a privilege it was for me to present it. Later, the Save Our Jobs Committee merged with the SOAR chapter.

Corporate Greed at its Worst

“Corporate Greed at its Worst”

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) fought tooth and nail with General Motors president Mary Barra over the closing of the Lordstown, Ohio auto plant that ceased production on March 6. He knew that 1,400 permanent well-paying manufacturing jobs would be lost and would have devastating effects on the city that has been building cars for General Motors since 1966.

But Senator Brown was also aware of the ripple effect that would be caused by the loss of these jobs in the Youngstown area.

The Lordstown plant is just the first of five North American plants GM has scheduled for closing in the coming months. More jobs will be lost and thousands of jobs in the supply chain will also disappear.

The steel industry could be hit hard with United Steelworker slowdowns in the Mahoning Valley. It brings back memories of “Black Monday” when 41 years ago Youngstown Sheet and Tube closed its Campbell Works Mill laying off 5,000 steelworkers. During the next five years, almost 50,000 people would lose jobs in steel and related industries in the Youngstown area.

The main issue here is automobiles but Senator Brown, a champion of the steel industry, knows how hard the Lordstown plant closing will be on Ohio steelworkers.

Senator Brown described the closing as “shameful.” GM reaped a massive tax break from last year’s GOP tax bill but did not invest that money in American jobs and moved production to Mexico. Brown called the decision “corporate greed at its worst.”

Jeff Bonior, Staff Writer for the Alliance for American Manufacturing

Ken Kovack Retires

Kenneth Kovack, SOAR Legislative Director Retires

Buck Sargent Ken Kovack was discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1946. A year later he hired in at Inland Steel’s 76-inch Hot-Strip Mill in East Chicago, Indiana. Soon after, he married Valerie, and they’ve been blessed with five children, nine grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. 

There’s no doubt that Ken’s forte was in organizing the organized. As a member of USWA Local 1010, he was soon made Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Committee, expanded the Local 1010 blood replacement program and started an on-and-off-the-job First Aid training program. He became active with the National Safety Council, the Hammond Safety Council and the Sub-District Council. Ken was also an Executive Board Member and Secretary-Treasurer of the Consumer Federation of America (headquartered in Washington, D.C.) for almost 21 years and he is now an Emeritus Board member of that organization. Ken also attended meetings of other national organizations and often lobbied members of Congress with their staff members.

While serving as the local’s Recording Secretary, Ken was very active on the Legislative and Political Committee and was a member of the Local 1010 Community Services Committee during the Basic Steel Strike of 1959. Not long after that, he was selected by the Lake and Porter County Central Labor Union (now the Northwest Federation of Labor) to become the Labor Liaison for the East Chicago/Hammond United Way. Ken then began organizing a county-wide United Fund which is now known as the Lake Area United Way.

During his five United Way years, Ken organized fundraisers, an immunization program with the help of the Visiting Nurses agency in East Chicago, a health fair and a fundraiser to build a community recreation center. Ken then served one year as a Staff Representative representing nine Local Unions before being transferred to the Steelworkers Legislative Department in Washington D.C. Ken participated in two labor exchange programs. First, in Germany; and then, he toured Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

He was given two international assignments. In 1990, he attended the Czechoslovakia jobs and migration conference and in early 1992, he was assigned to testify in hearings organized by Mexico’s Labor Department in Mexico City. Several issues against NAFTA were related to Mexico's many unfair labor practices and environmental implementation policies.

Since his retirement in 1992, Ken has been active in SOAR, occupied his old office in the D.C. Legislative Department for several years and occasionally spoke at SOAR conferences. He remained active with the United Way annual campaigns for several years and served as an adviser to the United Way Of America national office in Virginia. Ken has testified before Congress, and wrote the Washington Wrap article for the SOAR magazine and legislative updates to our SOAR board members for distribution to SOAR Chapters nationwide.

Ken, at age 93, decided to retire as the Legislative Director of SOAR, a decision that was put off for several months. 

Ken and Val remain as residents of Rockville, Maryland taking more time for each other and their family. 

New NAFTA Language Cannot be Approved

New NAFTA Language Cannot be Approved in its Current Form

by Robert Roach, Jr.

Soon Congress will consider a revised NAFTA trade deal, also known as the USMCA. The administration and the governments of Canada and Mexico have negotiated the wording as it currently stands.

The revised deal would lock in high U.S. drug prices. It extends pharmaceutical corporations’ monopoly rights, allowing them to block generic competition. Delaying the introduction of generic medicine means high prices for biologics, medicines that fight cancer and other critical diseases for even longer.

The agreement also ties the hands of future Congresses. It prevents any future changes that would lower drug prices for the drugs affected by this agreement. 

Mexico’s Undersecretary for North America recently admitted this danger that the USMCA would make it "more difficult to get generic” medicines. 

Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. One in five people say that they can't afford the cost of their prescribed medication. Many seniors have to choose between taking those medications and putting food on the table.

The last thing we need now is a trade deal that makes this problem worse. White House officials have not yet submitted the text for the bill, and Congress can make changes, or vote the agreement down.

We call on Congress to block these giveaways to Pharma and stand up for retirees and all consumers.

Robert Roach, Jr. is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans.  He was previously General Secretary‐Treasurer of the IAMAW.  For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org.

Take Action to Protect Our Pensions

Take Action to Protect Our Pensions 

Because of a perfect storm of the Great Recession, changing industries, failed trade policies that have caused significant manufacturing job loss, and other factors outside of our control, the security of some multiemployer pension plans are at risk of going insolvent unless Congress takes action.

We know that a pension provides security to retirees after decades of hard work. A pension oftentimes makes it possible for us to care for an ill or aging spouse, or a disabled child or grandchild.

Congress has an opportunity to take swift action to protect more than one million Americans who are at risk of losing their pensions. Our union supports H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act. This legislation would extend long-term loans to financially troubled pension plans, granting security to pensioners.

We need to push our lawmakers to take action. Please write your Representative, and urge them to support H.R. 397. You can submit your letter using a tool we have made available on our union’s Rapid Response website, which can be found at www.uswrr.org or go to http://usw.to/Pensions

Julie Stein, SOAR Director

U.S. Navy Destroyers off Vietnam

Words Are Misleading

Words Are Misleading

There’s been a lot of talk lately by the media and others about capitalism and socialism; but, we shouldn’t be distracted from what the issues in the upcoming elections should really be about and where the candidates stand on those issues that affect retirees.

Although Social Security may be a social insurance program, it works, and we all should be concerned about our earned benefits. Not only with Social Security; but, also with Medicare, the minimum wage, worker’s rights, pension benefits, healthcare and a host of other issues. We have to try to abstain from referring to others as capitalists or socialists.

We need to pay attention to the fact that the current administration is proposing cuts of $285 billion from Medicare, $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and $25 billion from Social Security. That’s what’s really important. Let’s keep our eyes on those things.

Bill Gibbons, PACE Representative

SOAR ARA Affiliation

Our SOAR members, in New York State, have become the latest group to affiliate with the Alliance for Retired Americans. With District 4 SOAR members affiliating with the NY State Alliance, it brings the number of states we have now affiliated with to 22. This affiliation will allow us to gather and share information, as well as giving access to more people who share our issues and are willing to get involved in New York State. I want to thank District 4 Director John Shinn for his vision and willingness to help SOAR and also the other US District Directors who have paid the dues for SOAR Chapters in other Districts to allow SOAR to become more relevant in their States.

With the recent release of the proposed budget and the attack on seniors through Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid changes, it cannot be more clear that SOAR must do all it can to educate our members and the general public about the threat to ourselves and future retirees. Today, 61 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. Over 40 million retirees rely on these modest benefits for over half of their retirement income. Also, millions of seniors, who are in nursing homes, rely on Medicaid to pay for their care. We cannot allow our story to be told to only our members. We need to join groups like the ARA so that we can expand our numbers and grow our voice on these issues.

See your District Executive Board member for more information relating to a new or existing State affiliation with the ARA.

Bill Pienta, SOAR President