Tri-City’s chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) celebrated its 50-year anniversary in early May 2026.
NARFE chapter 1494 works to protect the benefits of current and former federal employees in Fremont, Newark and Union City.
Chapter 1494 was founded in April of 1976. Now, it’s one of 800 chapters nationwide.
Members celebrated the anniversary with dinner and a presentation from Steve Walter, the current president of NARFE’s Redwood City chapter legislative chair for California state NARFE federation.
“What Congress gives, Congress can take away,” Walter said. “So we have a legislative group that’s tuned in to what legislation is being introduced. If it’s against federal retiree interest, we can buttonhole our congress people and tell them not to support it.”
Walter said that advocacy for federal benefits is one of the main reasons he got involved with NARFE. And, the organization’s growth and staying power strengthens their ability to do so.
“There’s more power in numbers. That’s how democracy works. Congress pays attention to those who have the loudest voices,” Walter said.
In addition to federal advocacy, NARFE offers education on benefits owed to former federal employees.
Joy Bryant has been a NARFE member for 20 years, and she was chapter 1494’s secretary for 15 of those years.
“This organization really helped with my benefits,” Bryant said. “It helped me understand how my benefits would be calculated.” Bryant added that she found a strong community while working with NARFE.
“We want to make sure that what we are promised for benefits while working for the government, once we retire, that promise is still good,” said the chapter’s current president, Thien Khuu.
Khuu joined NARFE a couple of years ago, and said that he wished he had known about the organization earlier. He also encouraged current federal employees to get involved.
“People think this is not for them, but I would advocate that it is for them, because it is their future,” Khuu said. “If they’re making a career out of the federal agency and retire from it, they want to make sure that what benefits they have, that they’re protected and not taken away.”
