E-mail letters to Allegro editor Mikael Elsila or write to Allegro, Local 802, 322 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036. Letters must be no more than 300 words. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of Local 802.

CHOOSING A RETIREE REPRESENTATIVE

The Pension Board of Trustees should immediately set up a committee to advise them about choosing a Retiree Representative, as Cecelia Hobbs Gardner recommends (A Seat at the Table: Selecting the Retiree Representative, Allegro, October 2017). If they don’t, their potential application to the Treasury Department for the reduction of pension benefits (under the MPRA law) will be explosively divisive. Can the Board afford to alienate and infuriate so many union members by fast-tracking such a crucial matter without even the appearance of full and open discussion? Local 802 President Tino Gagliardi may wish for a more efficient process, but shutting out contrary voices could rip our union apart. We should start the messy but inclusive democratic process now – before it’s too late.

–Evan Johnson