"A dark and disappointing day"
On July 1, 2012, the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act (RIRSA), enacted in November of 2011, took effect and made devastating changes to the retirement security of teachers, school support staff, state employees, and municipal employees. These cuts took away promised pension benefits from dedicated public servants, made it harder to recruit and retain teachers, and left thousands of retirees struggling to make ends meet.
NEARI, along with other unions and allies, sued the State. The case ultimately resulted in a settlement signed on February 14, 2014. As then-Executive Director Bob Walsh said at the time:
"The approval of a settlement does not represent an endorsement of what was done as much as a reflection of the legal realities of the case. Support does not indicate a lack of faith in our cause, but just an understanding of where it would likely end up."
Regrouping after failure
Over the next 13 years, NEARI and our allies continued to lobby and advocate to restore what had been taken away. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful.
In 2024, we tried a new approach. Instead of demanding a full reversal of every change, we focused on improving one specific part of the pension system at a time. Our goal was to pursue a change that was:
- Ambitious
- Achievable
- Impactful for all members
After extensive research and conversations with local leaders and rank-and-file members, we agreed to focus on the “5-to-3” change — calculating pensions using the average of an employee’s highest three consecutive years of salary instead of five.
We chose this change for three key reasons:
It was ambitious.
It would be the first positive improvement to our pension system in 38 years.
It was achievable.
While still significant, the cost (about $16 million annually) was smaller than many other proposed reforms, and the state was projecting a surplus.
It was impactful.
Every member would benefit. Teachers and state employees would see pensions increase by roughly $1,000 per year, while municipal employees and school support staff would see increases of about $500 per year.
Our members organized.
123 members lobbied at the State House, more than 5,000 postcards were sent to legislators, and hundreds of members made phone calls.
And we won.
This victory didn’t solve every problem, but it was real progress — the first meaningful improvement to Rhode Island pensions in decades. Anyone retiring after the 2023–24 school year will receive a larger pension because of this change.
Building on Momentum
In 2025, we continued pushing for additional improvements at the State House, including:
- A Rule of 90
- Extending the 5-to-3 reform to retirees who were left out of the 2024 victory
- Increasing the pension accrual rate
While those proposals did not pass in Rhode Island, we achieved a major victory nationally. Our national union helped lead the coalition that successfully repealed GPO and WEP, two federal provisions that had unfairly reduced Social Security benefits for retirees who also receive a state pension.
For retirees affected by both systems, the repeal increased benefits by an average of $360 per month — or $4,320 per year.
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Continuing the Fight at the State House
In 2026, NEARI is advocating for several legislative changes to further improve retirement security, including:
- Rule of 90
- Extending the 5-to-3 victory to retirees
- Increasing the pension accrual rate
- Restoring 135 days of work as one year of service credit (helping members who take parental or medical leave)
- Increasing teacher survivor benefits
Increasing teacher survivor benefits may be an achievable goal this year because that program is funded through a separate pool of money from the broader pension system.
Other proposals will require significant advocacy, but we are committed to fighting for them.
Looking ahead
Our Political Action Committee for Education (PACE) has created a working group dedicated to planning the next phase of our pension advocacy. This group is reviewing proposals, analyzing costs and impacts, and developing ideas for the next ambitious, achievable, and equitable step in restoring retirement security.
Their recommendations will be brought to NEARI PACE to guide the union’s next strategy.
2027 and Beyond
The fight for pension fairness is far from over.
NEARI will continue organizing, advocating, and pushing for policies that ensure a secure retirement for the dedicated public servants who educate our students and serve Rhode Island’s communities.
The power of the union does not come from any one of us.
Our power comes from all of us — organizing, standing together, and fighting for the future we and our students deserve.
YOU are the union.
