In this issue of For Your Benefit, you will read about the new collective bargaining agreement reached between your Union and the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York. The new agreement keeps your health coverage intact–still with no out-of-pocket costs—while requiring, as in past agreements, that the National Benefit Fund find more savings opportunities. The contract also calls for ways to strengthen the Pension Fund, which is still recovering from the losses suffered during the market crash a decade ago.

Your rare, defined benefit pension is worth protecting. 1199SEIU retirees already know that and, in this issue, we share one of their stories. You will hear from Evelyn Blissett, a former Information Specialist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, who has been able to count on her set, monthly benefit pension to enjoy her retirement.

Financial well-being is important in your working life and in retirement. That’s why we are excited to introduce you to a new workshop series on your financial health, which begins this fall. Provided by Mobility Capital Finance (MoCaFi), the four-month series will be led by Ryan C. Mack, a CNN contributor, author and financial education expert who has devoted his career to empowering people to take the steps they need to meet their financial goals.

With the onset of flu season, Dr. Van H. Dunn, our Chief Medical Officer, talks about the importance of getting a flu shot–especially for healthcare workers. And because illness can sometimes arise from unexpected causes, we explore the harmful effects that loneliness can have on both your physical and mental health–and offer strategies for how you can prevent them.