Retirees Deserve Dialogue, Not Dismissal Because Respect Is the First Step Toward Real Leadership

by Marianne Pizzitola

My reply to a majority of people not in our organization who engaged in ad hominem attacks because our issues don't align. They confused their allegiance - not with us, but with what movement. (as seen in Work Bites)

I’m encouraged to see that so many voices are now talking about retiree healthcare and respect for New York City’s public servants. That’s what we’ve wanted all along, for our issues to be heard, not politicized like this response is.

Our organization, the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, represents tens of thousands of retired city workers; teachers, firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers, and nurses, who devoted their lives to this city. We are nonpartisan. We don’t endorse candidates by party. We advocate for promises kept. My open letter to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani was not about politics or personalities. It was a plea for engagement, respect, and dialogue. All the very things that make democracy work.

Over the past several years, retirees have had to fight to preserve the healthcare we earned. We have taken our city to court and won because we believe no one should be forced into a privatized plan against their will. We still fight to stop predatory copays putting our members into medical debt, expedite the statutory Medicare B reimbursement and for a grace period extending coverage upon the death of a retiree. We are not just about Medicare Advantage, we have many concerns.

Yet, throughout this process, we’ve asked every elected official, including Assemblymember Mamdani, to stand with us and listen to the people directly affected, and not just on healthcare. We welcome anyone, from any party or background, who is willing to have that conversation.

Unfortunately, my letter was met not with dialogue but with personal attacks on me and our Board members who have been fighting to protect those very same people, most of whom are not members or financial supporters. Instead of addressing the core issue, retirees’ healthcare and dignity, some have chosen to question motives and assign political allegiances that simply aren’t there. That’s disappointing, but it also proves why this conversation is so necessary. Dismissing retirees as “divisive” or accusing us of acting in bad faith is, in itself, a form of ageism. It implies that older New Yorkers can’t think independently or advocate for themselves. We can and we do.

I want to be clear: I respect Zohran Mamdani’s commitment to fighting hate, Islamophobia, and injustice. Those values are shared by every retiree who’s ever served this city. But inclusion must mean inclusion for all, and that includes seniors and the disabled and our line of duty spouses. Our organization deserves the same compassion, fairness, and listening ear that every other community is rightly given.

Real leadership means hearing hard truths and building bridges across generations and issues. We invited Assemblymember Mamdani and every candidate for public office to meet publicly with retirees, to discuss healthcare, affordability, and the future of this city. We don’t need promises. We need partnership. And he had several opportunities to do so.

New York was built by the hands of public servants who believed in the power of fairness and service. All we ask is that those who seek to lead this city honor that legacy not with slogans or attacks, but with action and respect. And for those who support him to show the same respect to those who don't - and mind you - that choice was his, not ours.

Respectfully,

Marianne Pizzitola

President, NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees