ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Thousands of New York state public workers packed MVP Arena today, urging lawmakers to overhaul the state’s Tier 6 retirement system.
The New York State United Teachers union said roughly 780,000 employees who began working after April 1, 2012, are in Tier 6 and face longer careers, higher retirement contributions and reduced benefits compared with co-workers in earlier tiers.
Union leaders said they are not asking for extra compensation, but for the retirement benefits they say were promised.
“We don’t see fixing tier 6 as something we want to get; we see it as something that was taken away that we need to get back,” said Sam Fresina, president of the New York Professional Fire Fighters Association.
Mario Cilento of the New York State AFL-CIO said the state has failed to uphold a long-standing commitment to public employees.
“Decades ago, there was a promise made by this state. The promise was that if you dedicated your life to public service, then when you retire, you would be able to live your retirement, have a retirement of dignity, of self-respect, and financial independence. Fourteen years ago, this state broke that promise,” Cilento said.
NYSUT President Melinda Person said Tier 6 is contributing to a workforce shortage because the retirement plan is less attractive, pushing professionals away from public service careers. Person warned that if the system is not fixed now, the state risks a larger staffing crisis in the near future.