Tier 3, 4 members deserve more
To the Editor:
In 2000, Tier 1 and Tier 2 members received two years of additional service credit, which added another 4 percent of their final average salaries (FAS) to their pensions.

However, members of Tier 1 and Tier 2 have never been required to contribute to their pensions. Also: they are eligible to retire without penalty earlier than members of Tiers 3 and 4.

In 2000, Tier 3 members and Tier 4 members were allowed to stop contributing 3 percent of their salaries to their future pensions after 10 years. Some employees, however, had already been contributing for more than 10 years.

We need to tell the governor’s office, the state Senate and Assembly, as well as our union representatives to work for passage of bills S.4514B/A.7445C to give additional service credit to members of Tiers 3 and 4.

We need to tell our delegates to this year’s PEF convention that this needs to be a priority. All we are asking is equal treatment for something we paid for and others did not.
TIMOTHY J. PARKER
Chittenango

WILLIAM H. MILLER
Oneida

Editor’s note: PEF fought hard to get the 10-year limit on pension contributions for its members in Tiers 3 and 4. It was an important step in regaining tier equity.

Tier reform has been and continues to be a top legislative priority for PEF.

However, the political tide is currently moving, both nationally and in New York state, in the opposite direction. The trend is toward eliminating defined-benefit pensions entirely and reducing state retirees’ health insurance.

For example, New York Republican gubernatorial candidate John Faso told reporters August 1 that he favors creating a Tier 5 for new hires into state service, which would provide them with only individual (defined-contribution) 401k investment funds to support them when they retire. PEF supported the bill mentioned in the letter above, but it did not come to a vote in either house.

Scacalossi winner: ‘Thanks’
To the Editor:
I would like to extend my heartfelt thank you to the PEF Scholarship Committee for selecting me to receive a 2006 Joseph Scacalossi Scholarship.

By bestowing this honor upon me, PEF has granted me the opportunity to further my knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. Over the next several years, with the aid of your generosity, I wish to become a pharmacist.

As an entering freshman at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, I am prepared for the immense challenges and grand opportunities which are surely to manifest themselves during my first year. This scholarship further solidifies my will and aspirations.

Thank you once again for granting me the Joseph Scacalossi Scholarship. I am honored and feel privileged to have received it. I promise you that I will work hard and will not let the scholarship committee down.
NIDHI BAGGA
Morganville, NJ

Scanlon family grateful to PEF
To the Editor:
I want to thank PEF so much for its video. Honestly, without it I don't think the issue of workplace violence would ever have gained an audience.

The dedication of PEF, along with the AFL-CIO and Civil Service Employees Association, has been tremendous over the last eight years. I never knew we had so many friends.

We, as a family, are very excited about the joyous news of the passage of the Workplace Violence Prevention Bill. So many families will have the privilege of knowing their loved ones will have better safeguards legally in place in their workplace settings. No one should have the fear of violence looming over them when they enter a place of employment.

We are also excited that the Judi Scanlon Bill, which was created after the horrifying murder of our mother, has also passed both houses of the New York Legislature!

We pray for great change in the future in the way places of employment protect their employees and we hope that with these legal protections, accountability measures will strengthen. We look forward to more great news in the near future!
KELLY SCANLON-NORTH
Angola

Editor’s Note: The Workplace Violence Prevention Bill was signed into law. However, the Judi Scanlon Bill was vetoed after this letter was sent to PEF. See page 6 for related article.

The Communicator Letters policy
We welcome letters to the editor about union issues and events relevant to PEF's diverse membership.

All letters are subject to editing for space, fairness and good taste.

Please keep them brief (up to one page, double-spaced or a maximum of 250 words), and please include your name and phone number for verification.
Send letters to:
The Communicator
Public Employees Federation
P.O. Box 12414
Albany, N.Y. 12212-2414
Email to Sherry Halbrook,  Editor or Darcy Wells, Editor-In Chief.