This month’s cover story amply illustrates that our work as union members doesn’t end when we retire from active employment. As 76 million baby boomers leave the work force, many of the corporations that they and their more senior retirees have enriched with their labor—like NV Energy—are seeking to unload obligations that were won through collective bargaining.

Unfortunately, our nation’s labor laws offer meager protection, holding collective bargaining over benefits to retirees to be "permissive" rather than "mandatory" subjects of bargaining. This weak bargaining power has real consequences. Thirty years ago, more than a third of workers in the private sector had traditional pensions. That number is now down to 16 percent.

Rising medical costs have resulted in a shocking increase in the number of seniors filing for bankruptcy. A 2007 AARP study shows that bankruptcies of Americans 55 or older increased threefold since 1991.

Even for retirees whose health benefits are currently secure, a severe recession has dealt them a harsh blow. Over $4 trillion of value was lost from U.S. pension plans in the first quarter of 2008. The impact on retirees is compounded by the fact that 401(k) plans (which replaced many traditional pension plans) only provide 10 to 33 percent of the value of the former plans.

But enough with the statistics. What will we do? We need to take a page from our brothers and sisters who are collecting pensions from NV Energy and AT&T. They are standing up to broken promises by turning to each other. They are working side by side with active members of their local unions to defend hard-won gains.

More retirees need to follow their example. Unfortunately, the word from the field is that our retiree clubs—many of which have provided important support to their local unions in collective bargaining and political battles—are growing weaker. With members averaging between 70 and 80 years old and many of their dedicated leaders in bad health, most clubs are having trouble recruiting younger, baby boomer generation retirees.

We need more union members like Toledo, Ohio, Local 245 Assistant Business Manager Ken Erdmann and Local 21’s Larry Moeller, who are grappling with the challenge of organizing younger retirees.

This is a personal issue with us. While the IBEW takes pride in sending Liz Shuler to the AFL-CIO to help spearhead a movement to bring younger members into the labor movement, this is only part of the story. Young people need mentors and activists to learn from. And we cannot consider our efforts successful if we fail to rally our retirees to stand by their side.

These are difficult times. We understand that many younger retirees are forced to seek part-time or full-time jobs. Many are simultaneously caring for and/or housing adult children and aging parents. "Boomerangst" about the future is real. But, brothers and sisters, it is in tough times that we have the most to gain by working together.

Our union is part of many coalitions. But the strongest coalitions are the ones that we build internally—where we combine the maturity and experience of our retirees with the energy and creativity of our young members and the common sense of our active leaders on the job. That’s how we defend benefits. And that’s how we increase labor’s numbers and influence to improve the lives of working families.

In February, we will be launching a retiree page on our Web site. We are open to ideas and suggestions on how to approach the retiree organizing challenge.

One thing we will never do is throw in the towel. We need each other, brothers and sisters. Let us hear from you.

We wish all of our members and your families a happy and healthy holiday season and a new year that sees an improving economy and a revitalized labor movement.