CATSKILL — When Tom Gaschel started working for the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1995, he was looking for a job with stability and health benefits to support his growing family.
Joining the DOT came with a pay cut from the privately owned masonry company where he had worked, but promotions and the promise of a stable retirement kept him at DOT’s Greene County Residency for the next three decades.
Now, as he looks ahead to retiring in April, Gaschel is thinking not only about his own future, but also the futures of his co-workers who fall under Tier 6 of the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS).
“We have a lot of younger guys, and I talk about [Tier 6] more than they do because I see what it is going to be like for them,” said Gaschel, who is 57 and part of the Retirement System’s Tier 4.
Retirement may be a distant thought for some younger employees at the Greene County DOT Residency, many of whom are in their 20s or 30s. William Monkell is one of them.
During his early 20s, Monkell was told about the benefits of working for the county. However, the requirements of Tier 6 employees make him wonder what those benefits will look like in the future.
“A lot of the guys have said ‘it’s good that I’m starting young, but will I even be here in 30 years?’” said Monkell.
For employees in their early 20s, that means another roughly 40 years of service before they can retire with full benefits and no penalties. Under Tier 6, state and local government employees must serve until age 63 to be eligible for their full retirement benefits.
In conversations with friends working in the private sector, he compares his own future with theirs. While some are looking at retirement in their late 40s, Monkell will be working an additional two decades to receive full benefits.
Jorge Rojas, who has been working with the DOT for five years, finds the age requirement and contribution rate under Tier 6 “doesn’t give you the motivation to sign up for public service.”
Gaschel recognizes how differently the end of his Tier 6 counterparts’ careers—and their retirements—may look compared to his own. Rojas, who is in his 30s, fears he will have less time to enjoy the retirement he hoped for.
“I’m burned out and I’ve been here 30 years, but what’s the impact of a guy that’s been here 35, 38, 39 years?” said Gaschel.
Aside from burnout, Gaschel also thinks practically about the requirements of positions in careers like his. DOT employees are often the first vehicles to hit our roadways in extreme winter weather conditions, regardless of the temperature.
“These guys will be 63 years old, out in the heat or out in the freezing cold,” said Gaschel.
As workers get older, the requirements of these positions can become more physically taxing. Often, they mask concerns about retirement with humor.
“I might not even be alive until 63,” said Rojas, jokingly. “Enjoy me now.”
— Alexandra Whitbeck