State House News Protect Your Pension Talking Points
Below are advice and ideas for communicating with your state representatives and senators on proposed pension changes. If any legislator makes a commitment to you for or against we would like to know. Please e-mail Henry Boeniger, NEARI Government Relations, at HBoeniger@neari.org with this information, or any other questions or comments. In General
1. Be brief stick to one or two major points
2. Be polite, but firm remember, legislators represent you!
3. If they ask you a question and you dont know the answer, tell them so. Promise to respond quickly with the correct information. Plan A Members
1. Take the position that changes to either Plan A or B and/or a 401k type system for new employees would be unacceptable.
2. Explain that you are vested and have been paying one of the highest contribution rates in the country for ___ years. It would be extremely unfair to downgrade pension benefits now that you have paid so much in to the system. People nearing retirement age have made life plans based on a promise made when they began work.
3. Ask them to review Plan B, which unfairly targeted about half the teachers and state employees by reducing their pensions while greatly increasing the number of years they would have to work at the same high contribution rate. Plan B Members
1. Remind legislators that the pension system was changed three years ago and how unfair it is for those who were not vested. (You may briefly relate your own personal story.) For a lesser benefit, Plan B still has one of the highest contribution rates in the country. The benefits are disproportionate to the contribution rate.
2. Strongly encourage them to make no changes that negatively impact Plans A and B. Additionally, speak in opposition to creating a 401k type system for new employees.
3. Ask them to urge the Pension Study Review Committee to address how Plan B can be adjusted to make it fairer and more in line with Plan A, especially since the contribution rate is the same. Suggestions for improvement would be to lower the contribution rate, the maximum number of years needed, and the stiff penalties for early retirement before reaching the maximum. (If you entered the profession from another career or later in life, this is extremely important.) The message for all:
Leave our pensions alone
Find a way to make Plan B fairer
Keep the Promise!
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