Eager to pass 25/55 reform
To the Editor:
I am a community mental health nurse who will be 56 this year, with 25 years of service in the NYS pension system. 

I would retire tomorrow, but I cannot afford the 23.75 percent penalty for early retirement. I know many others in this same predicament.

What is happening with pension tier equity legislation to allow retirement without penalty at age 55 if you have at least 25 years of service? 

Is a bill for this currently before the Legislature? If so, what is the bill number? 

I would like to contact my legislators to ask them to support it.

DONNA RUSSIN
Binghamton

Editor’s note: Yes. The 25/55 legislation is bill A.5807 in the state Assembly. It was introduced by Assembly Member Jack McEneny. The bill number is S.3201 in the state Senate, where it was introduced by Sen. Joseph Robach. PEF is supporting this legislation, which would affect pension Tiers 2, 3 and 4.

Wants prior service credits
To the Editor:
Some PEF members and members of other unions have previously worked in the civil service systems of other states. However, when these individuals come to work for the state of New York, their experience was probably recognized but their service is not credited toward their retirement.

I suggest PEF ask the state to give service credit recognition to these employees as long as they pay back to the retirement system for all the time to be credited.

Criminals who have done time for the same offense in other states have their time credited to their sentences when they come to finish their sentences in New York. Further, they are given time off their sentences via the new merit time and supplemental merit time allowance.

But brothers and sisters working for New York, who have contributed to society and given the best years of their lives to the civil service system, are given no recognition/credit for time already served.

D.C. CRUZ
Wappingers Falls

AFT’s congrats to PEF on 25 yrs
To the Editor:
Congratulations! The Public Employees Federation Regional Council, 4053 has reached a milestone. March 1 marks the 25th anniversary of PEF’s charter as a local of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.

It was a historic day in 1916 when the AFT was formed by the members of a group of eight autonomous local teacher unions. Since that day, our strength has come from our members in all constituencies and from local unions with a proud history like yours. 

In the tradition of the AFT, you have worked diligently to improve members’ lives and the people we serve and to help your members achieve dignity in the workplace. Your success is our success, and it has made the AFT one of the fastest growing unions in the AFL-CIO. 
Your strength and perseverance over the past 25 years are a source of great pride and inspiration to all of us. It gives us incentive to continue working to make our union even stronger at the local, state and national levels.

Again, congratulations. I wish you many more years of success.

AFT President EDWARD J. McELROY
Washington

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