Bennett Fischer, RTC Chapter Leader
Two significant advances for retiree benefits came out of the October Delegate Assembly. First, UFT President Michael Mulgrew announced that a campaign to improve the annual pension cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be the primary focus of the union’s legislative agenda this year, and of our lobbying in Albany in March. Second, a resolution supporting City Council Int. 1008-2026 was placed on the DA agenda.
Pension COLA
Two years ago, the Delegate Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for a fairer pension COLA. It was an important acknowledgment that retiree interests deserve attention. Then things stalled, as the union focused on the Fix Tier 6 and paraprofessional RESPECT campaigns, both worthy efforts. Retirees were left wondering where the COLA campaign had gone. RTC delegations met repeatedly with the Teachers’ Retirement System teacher trustees and UFT officers, right up to the October DA, urging movement. Now there is the promise of action, and we will work together to turn that promise into reality.
UFT political campaigns move in incremental steps: pass a resolution committing the union to action; land on reasonable and just goals; write legislation; find allies in Albany to introduce it; and use the union’s lobbying power to get it signed into law. On COLA, we have Step 1 and a promise of Step 5. Steps 2 through 4 remain. Our pension trustees and the city’s actuaries must find a formula that gives us the greatest possible COLA increase while keeping our pension funds solvent. Then we write the legislation, get it introduced in the 2027 session and lobby hard to get it into the state budget by March 31, 2027. Easy peasy, right? We’ll need to keep up the pressure. But this is a big promise that will be hard to ignore, and it’s the kind of campaign our union organizes well when motivated.
Int. 1008
Twice in two years, the RTC has passed resolutions supporting Council member Chris Marte’s proposed legislation, currently known as Int. 1008-2026. The bill sets a floor beneath which the city’s supplemental Medicare coverage could not fall for Medicare-eligible retirees, or not lower than the GHI Senior Care benefits in effect on Dec. 31, 2021. Among other things, that would mean no copays.
The UFT has concerns about this legislation, chiefly regarding its effect on the union’s collective bargaining rights. The resolution that is now on the DA agenda calls for the UFT to support the bill in its current form, Int. 1008-A, or other amended versions. Should we watch the bill closely as it progresses through the City Council? Absolutely. Amendments and compromises are part of the democratic legislative process, and we must remain watchful that the primary focus of the bill isn’t compromised.
It’s terrific that a resolution supporting Int. 1008 was added to the DA agenda. It shows that retirees can advocate firmly for the benefits we earned while still working constructively with our union and having the support of our in-service colleagues. That is a major win for retirees.