LRTA’s Watson addresses area’s retired teachers

Rodney R. Watson had a straight forward message for the group of retired teachers inside the Evangeline Parish Media Center on Thursday morning.
“Legislators are not paying close attention to retired educators as much as they used to,” Watson said. “For years we were told if we take care of the students that the system would take care of us and that is not the case anymore. If we don’t defend ourselves then no one will.”
Watson, who serves as Executive Director of the non-profit organization Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, was the guest speaker at the Evangeline Parish Retired Teachers Association meeting on Thursday. Including EPRTA board members, more than a dozen retired teachers were in attendance for the meeting.
Despite the small group, Watson had faith in the local chapter’s ability to increase numbers in the effort to protect the retirement benefits of local retired teachers.
“You may not have the number of members as some of our other groups but I look at the faces in this room and see the wisdom you have and what you can offer the community,” Watson said. “How appropriate that we are in Evangeline Parish when we are talking about growing this organization with activism and evangelism?”
Watson over and over again preached the power of activism and evangelism during the meeting. The LRTA leader cited how the public showing of support of retired teachers helped thwart the reform efforts of Louisiana House Representative Barry Ivey R-Baton Rouge.
Ivey, who sits on the House Retirement Committee, introduced four pieces of legislation that combined to form a hybrid plan to curb the increase of debt used to pay for state pension system, and also wanted to raise minimum retirement age from 62 to 65.
The measures did not make it out of the committee as Ivey voluntarily deferred the four bills back in April.
“When Rep. Ivy introduced his most damaging piece of legislation we filled that room up,” Watson said. “We had so many people that they had to open up another room to accommodate us. Through our actions that day we were able to defeat those bills.”
Even though LRTA defended its retirement plan, Watson warned that more retired teachers are needed in the effort to keep retirement benefits because of national groups behind the retirement slashing efforts. Ivey’s proposed legislation for example was championed by the Reason Foundation, which is partially funded by the billionaire Koch brothers.
“These groups that are out there -- they want to shut down every retirement group out there,” Watson stated. “They are not going to give up. They will be back next year.”
Watson went on to further state that keeping a good retirement plan is critical to keeping teachers in state.
“Teachers make 17 to 20 percent less than their counterparts with the same degree,” Watson said. “How can we compete with that? We dangle the carrot of good benefits. If we don’t have that then how can we keep our teachers?”
EPRTA President Brenda Toston thanked Watson for his time and asked him to please return when the organization had grown. Totson urged the retired teachers in attendance to please recruit others to the group.
The EPRTA also voted and passed on a measure giving a $100 donation it had received this week to Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine to be distributed to local flood victims.
Toston also said for anyone interested in joining the organization to please contact her at (337) 363-6029 or by email at myslimpack@gmail.com.
The EPRTA will next meet on November 10 and the LRTA will hold its annual conference from October 24-26 in Lafayette at the Ramada Inn.