ALBANY — During this year’s legislative session, CSEA’s top priority is reforming Tiers 5 and 6 of the public pension system.
Our union recently launched the Fix Tier 6 campaign to urge state legislators and the governor to continue making positive changes to our pensions.
Tiers 5 and 6 changed the rules on retirement, forcing members to work longer and pay more for smaller benefits, making public service jobs less competitive with the private sector.
“In the past, people would enter the public sector knowing that they would make less money compared to their private sector counterparts but would receive a pension that would ensure a dignified retirement,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “Under Tier 6, pensions are no longer a selling point for entering the public sector workforce.”
CSEA is pushing for real pension reforms that put more money back in members’ pockets at retirement and provide immediate relief in their paychecks. The proposed changes would reduce the employee contribution rate to 3%.
We are also pushing to reduce early-retirement penalties, lower the length of service and age requirements for retirement eligibility, and eliminate caps on the inclusion of wage growth, overtime, and other pay in pension benefit calculations.
In recent years, CSEA has successfully urged state legislators and the governor to make positive reforms, including reducing the vesting period, changing how members’ final average salary is calculated, and excluding overtime earnings from the pension contribution rate.
Our union members made this happen by taking action, including sending more than 10,000 emails to legislators, making thousands of calls, and holding rallies.
“These pension victories happened because CSEA members used our voices and took action,” said Sullivan. “Let’s do this again so our Tier 5 and 6 members can have the secure retirement they deserve.”
Learn more about our fight for pension reform and how you can get involved at cseany.org/fix-tier-6.