PEF Members,
I know some members are unhappy when they compare what teachers received with what other public-sector unions like PEF, CSEA, DC37, UUP, and others secured.
But when I met with other municipal union leaders, we all came to the same conclusion: getting money into members’ pockets now was more important and more practical than focusing solely on a retirement benefit that may not impact someone for another 14 years.
That decision was based directly on what we were hearing from members every single day — concerns about affordability, the rising cost of housing, heat, gas, groceries, and simply trying to make ends meet in today’s economy.
I have no regrets about making that choice.
What baffles me is reading social media comments suggesting that an additional $1,400 or more in take-home pay was somehow not meaningful. Many members told us they needed relief now. They needed help paying bills now. They needed breathing room now. That is exactly what reducing contribution rates was intended to do.
At the same time, there still remains time to continue the fight on Tier 6 and retirement reform. Those efforts are not over. In fact, many legislators themselves are Tier 6 members, and over time they too will increasingly understand the importance of earlier retirement options and pension fairness.
None of us truly knows what the world, the economy, or even public attitudes toward public sector workers will look like 14 years from now. Governors change. Legislatures change. Economic realities change. Policies can evolve in either direction.
What we did know was this: our members needed immediate financial relief. We had an opportunity to provide that relief, and we took it.
Leadership sometimes means making the best decision possible for the realities members are facing today, while continuing to fight for tomorrow.
Wayne Spence
President
PEF