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Time to refresh our COLAs
A priority on the PEF Retirees legislative agenda is re-energizing the initiative to expand the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to our state pensions.
Retirees, who have fixed incomes, have seen the costs of many necessary expenses rise exponentially. We’re paying more for our prescription drugs and doctor visit co-pays. Energy prices have reached the stratosphere and we are warned that our heating bills this winter will skyrocket. Many of us anticipate significant increases in our local property taxes.
The August-September ’05 issue of the American Federation of Teachers’ Public Employee Advocate has two articles relevant to our plight as retirees.
In one article, PEF President Roger Benson comments on a legislative campaign begun in 1991 to secure an automatic COLA for our state pensions.
Nine years later, in 2000, this COLA became a reality. Benson cited “patience and perseverance” among the important factors in achieving this objective.
That same issue of the Advocate also highlights PEF’s Go Public legislative campaign which AFT has now taken up in many states throughout the country. The article discusses our union’s fight against waste in government, the improper use of consultants, wasteful or corrupt contracting, patronage and cronyism. This article, directed to a national readership, gives PEF credit for originating this campaign.
The Go Public campaign also aims to build public respect and appreciation for public-sector employees and retirees and will strengthen our position when we go to the state Legislature to request improvements to our pension COLA and health insurance program.
Remember, we’ll also need plenty of “patience and perseverance.”
SUPPORTING PEF — PEF Retirees Richard Magelaner and Charlie Davis join PEF members at the NY City Labor Parade in calling for the Labor Dept. to keep its NYC claims center open. — Photo by Richard Dillard
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