President's Message | June 2019

Dear RSA Members, Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of the Executive Board and Board of Trustees of the Retired Sergeants Association, I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. As we celebrate the joys of the season with family and friends, please keep in your thoughts and prayers our active brothers and sisters who do their very best against almost insurmountable odds to protect the citizens of this city as it slips further and further into chaos and anarchy. Please also remember in your prayers our brave military men and women who risk themselves half a world away to maintain the security of our Homeland. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the President of the United States who has worked so diligently for the past 3 years to right the course of our great nation and who is under unprecedented assault from the radical left.

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the RETIRED SERGEANTS ASSOCIATION. It began with a small group of retired sergeants meeting in the home of one of the founders who were unhappy with the shabby treatment of retired sergeants by the administration of the SBA, the constant erosion of retired benefits, culminating with retirees being barred from attending the monthly SBA meetings. These pioneers led by a Grand Old Gentleman named Harold Kamien set about to create an organization dedicated to protecting and improving the condition of retired NYPD sergeants. Interestingly, among the attendees of those early meetings were the late great Harold Melnick, Pete Mahon; Former Presidents of the SBA, Joe Fallek; the early and most successful legal defense of sergeants, AND a young SBA delegate who was unhappy with the direction the SBA was taking under that administration and who empathized with the plight of retired sergeants. That young man was Ed Mullins. Several years later the RSA successfully did all it could to support the election of Ed Mullins and Bob Ganley to President and Vice President of the union. That is when the SBA began to return to its former position of respect among labor as well as management. Today, the RSA is a close ally and colleague of the current administration of the SBA. An SBA led by honest and forthright individuals.

A union which is retiree friendly. Twenty-Five years ago, retired sergeants were barred from attending the monthly SBA meetings. Today, the SBA reserves two tables at its monthly delegates meeting to accommodate retired sergeants. Over the past 25 years, the RSA has grown from a handful of dedicated men meeting in the basement of a private home with less than 100 dues paid members to today’s organization which counts its membership in the thousands. Today, we have retired sergeants and RSA members living in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Europe. We have forged a cordial working alliance with a major municipal union (SBA) and actively lobby the Albany legislature on behalf of legislation beneficial to our members as well as all retired civil servants. We can count on our friends, members of the State Assembly and Senate. And soon, a United States Congresswoman. In our early years, the Retired Lieutenants Association (RLA) helped us in recruiting members. They shared their office space with us for a time. The RLA helped this fledging organization gain its footing. Today, we enjoy a friendship with the RLA, exchanging information and support. The RSA will always be indebted to the RLA and its leadership and membership. Conversely, in our early formative years our organization’s existence was opposed by the President of a 10-13 national organization on grounds of not wanting to compete for dues and membership. Twenty-Five years later we have an official working alliance with the larger and much more productive NATIONAL NYCPD 10-13 ORGANIZATIONS, INC. under the very capable leadership of Frank Martarella, who is also the RSA’s legislative representative. Our organization brings constant innovation to our membership. We pride ourselves on personal one-on-one service to our membership. With your permission and support we will continue to do so in the future.

The RSA General Membership Meeting, in Florida, is scheduled for Wednesday January 29, 2020, at the Hilton Singer Island Resort Hotel. This promises to be an interesting and fun event. We hope to see you there.

I would like to remind you that this is the time of year in which we need to pay our 2020 RSA dues. As our organization grows our expenses grow geometrically. Lobbying with political contributions, printing, phones, and internet expenses are just a few of the expenses. The cost of our newsletters; printing, mailing cost, and postage is astronomical. Our general meetings take a large portion of our budget in the form of the rental cost for the various venues, door prizes, and gifts to attendees. At each meeting, we provide a fine meal and adult beverage and we do not ask our attendees to pay a fee for the meal. We believe that your dues are your meeting and meal fee. We do not sell t-shirts, hats, jackets etc. We give t-shirts away for free to our members at meetings as an incentive to ask a question or make a comment. All of these items and more are costly. We see that as service to our membership, but costs are rising. Our only source of operating revenue is dues paid by our members. Therefore, please take a moment right now to pay your 2020 dues so that we may continue to provide you, our members, the service you deserve. AND get a friend to join. Thank you in advance for your 2020 membership dues.

I hope to see you on Singer Island, Florida at our January Membership meeting. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your president.

Fraternally,
Patsy A. Noto