THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE CSA RETIREE CHAPTER 

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2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the merger of the Retired School Supervisors and Administrators, (RSSA), a fraternal organization, with the newly created Retiree Chapter of the CSA Union. This merger effectually marked the creation of our current organization. The birth of the CSA Retire Chapter was not an easy one. There was a lot of hard labor, sweat, tears and anguish in its creation.

When CSA was founded in 1962, retirees were not included. Unions historically had worried that, eventually, retirees would outnumber in-service members and therefore outvote them. In the meantime, retirees expressed an interest in participating in CSA activities. In 1971, then CSA President Walter Degnan reluctantly assisted the retirees in the formation of the retired supervisors group. The following year the group renamed itself the Retired School Supervisors Association (RSSA). Benjamin Mandel became the first President of the organization.

The relationship of CSA to RSSA was paternalistic. CSA rented office space to RSSA and included them in social, political and educational activities. The retirees, in turn, carried the union’s banner at parades and rallies and supported the union. But, it remained clear, that they were separate organizations. In the 1990s CSA president Donald Singer arranged for the American Federation of School Administrators, AFSA, to give associate membership recognition to RSSA which helped increase AFSA membership numbers and gave RSSA members access to AFSA’s union discounts and an accidental death insurance benefit. Full union membership was denied to RSSA since it was not a member of CSA or any other union.

In 2004, the time was right. CSA president Jill Levy realized that the retirees would be an asset to the union. She recognized that their energy, knowledge, and time allowed them to participate in the Union’s political life as advocates for themselves and for in-service members. President Levy discussed her thoughts with Irwin Shanes, CSA founder, who was then serving as Administrator of the CSA Welfare Fund and who had long advocated for providing CSA union membership to retirees. She urged him to run for President of RSSA and, if successful, work with her to merge the RSSA with a new CSA Retiree Chapter that she would ask the CSA executive board to establish. Mr. Shanes agreed and organized a slate of officers and new executive board to run with him. Mrs. Levy asked the CSA Executive Board to pass a resolution to create the CSA Retiree Chapter. The vote to create was unanimous.

There was a vocal number of retiree members, including members of the leadership, who argued against merger. They were concerned that retirees would be swallowed up by the Union and they would lose their identities as well as their dues and reserves. Mr. Shanes assured the membership that he and President Levy had reached an agreement on these and other concerns and signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” which should erase their fears.

The items in the Agreement included the following:

Active and Retiree dues would be collected through dues check-off and each group would create their own budgets for approval by the CSA executive board.

Retiree reserve assets would be distributed only to retirees in supplemental benefits based on a formula related to years of membership in RSSA until the reserves were exhausted.

New dues monies would provide new and better member benefits.

Retirees would have a weighted vote for CSA elected officers of a minimum of 250 votes adjusted upward based on total retiree membership.

Retirees would have a Special Vice President representing them on the advisory committee which also provided retirees a seat at the negotiating table.

Retirees would have three representatives to the CSA Executive Board and also have a representative at CSA District meetings.

The election was held and the Shanes-Goidel team was elected by an overwhelming vote. The new RSSA Executive Board then sent a referendum vote to the RSSA membership to authorize the merger of RSSA and the CSA Retiree Chapter. On June 27, 2005, the results of the referendum to merge was approved by 95% of the ballots returned. “I am delighted to welcome back all of our retirees into the union,” President Levy said after the vote. “Many of our retirees were founding members of CSA – strong labor people who understand why we need a union. They remember what it was like before we had a union.” For Mr. Shanes, a member of the original committee in 1970 that studied the formation of a retiree association, the result was overdue. “This vote corrects an error that was made years ago when RSSA was created.” Now the work to organize and build the Chapter began.

The paid staff of the Chapter was led by Director Gary Goldstein and a very small but efficient staff of clerical workers who assisted members, furnished the office and helped our elected officers with projects and reports. The staff made it possible for the elected leadership to keep our promise to the members of building a great Chapter.

Our goal to build an active and purposeful political action program and to bring our Union closer to our far-flung membership was given to our first vice president

Dolores (Dee-Dee) Goidel. Mrs. Goidel’s efforts on our Union’s behalf has yielded an expanded number of regional units serving our members across the nation as well as a meaningful and effective political action program and is a story deserving its own publication.

The rest of our leadership had other tasks to complete among which was a new constitution in sync with CSA. A new expanded benefit program was developed that was linked to the CSA Retiree Welfare Fund benefit program. The program saved thousands of dollars in administrative costs by automatically generating a supplemental Chapter claim that was partially covered by the Welfare Fund.. A social and educational program was developed which is today one of the finest and wide-ranging programs of any other retiree organization.

In summation, it is important to note, that our Retiree Chapter’s mission and goals were instituted along the way with ongoing consultation and support of the CSA Presidents.

We are blessed today to have, we believe, the best Retiree Chapter of the best Union in the City of New York. None of this could’ve happened if not for the selfless dedicated people who gave so much of themselves.