About ROSE

OSEA’s program for retirees, the Retired Oregon School Employees (ROSE), is designed to look out for the rights and benefits of retired OSEA members. Comprised primarily of former OSEA members, ROSE members are committed to the continued support of both active and retired classified school employees through our activism and participation. The concepts that were used when ROSE was formed were:

1. To meet the interests and needs of OSEA’s retired members.
2. To provide opportunities for retired members to remain active while utilizing their talents and expertise to support OSEA.
3. To work with local OSEA chapters to provide volunteers in assisting with mentoring, mobilizing and other activities.
4. To enable retirees to remain aware of PERS and legislative measures affecting retiree issues.
5. To become recognized by and participate in other retirement organizations, both nationally and statewide.
6. To communicate OSEA information to retired OSEA members.

The Retiree Program and Policy Council (PPC) was established by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and represents nearly half of a million retired members from all active units within AFT. Since OSEA’s affiliation with AFT, ROSE has had a seat on the Retiree Program and Policy Council. The program itself has become a major force for continuing and supplementing our union’s commitment to preserving and strengthening the promise of American Education. AFT Retirees embody the idea of the “daytime army” and support the work of ROSE in several ways.  

ROSE is also affiliated with the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA). This alliance is a grassroots advocacy organization that was founded by the AFL-CIO in 2001. The ARA is comprised of approximately 4.4 million members through 39 state alliances and members in every state. These retiree activists come from all walks of life – educators, auto workers, state and federal government workers, construction workers, and community leaders – who are commonly united in the belief that every American deserves a secure and dignified retirement after a lifetime of hard work.

ROSE, OSEA and AFT jointly devote staff time and resources to look out for our retirees best interests at all levels. Together, OSEA and AFT representatives lobby the national and Oregon legislatures to protect and enhance classified benefits, address issues that negatively impact our retirees and remedy retirement issues. The members of ROSE stand ready to assist at the state and local chapter levels – be it with membership, information dissemination, state and chapter committee work, training sessions, retiree workshops or just about anything that comes to mind – where the extra hands make light work. ROSE has many resources at our disposal to help our organization be successful.