FA President Dante Morelli presents during one of several Fix Tier 6 meetings we have held this semester. Over 110 of our members are in retirement Tiers 5 and 6, which are not structured in an equitable fashion compared with other tiers. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

Retirement is often not on a member’s radar when they first start working at the college. But it should be on all of our radars at this particular moment due to a massive NYSUT initiative that aims to help a good number of our friends and colleagues. Over 110 FA members have been placed in Tiers 5 and 6 since their date of hire.

What does this mean and why should you care if you are not among them?

The contribution amount towards a retirement plan and the benefit payout are all dictated by New York State pension law. This why we have various retirement tiers, with nearly all of our members being placed in Tiers 4, 5 and 6. Tier placement is based on date of hire and, if applicable, previous public employment. The biggest difference between these retirement Tiers 5 & 6 and Tier 4 is that members need to contribute more money overall and must contribute throughout their career.

Our parent union New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has a statewide campaign to try to Fix Tier 6. Both Tiers 5 and 6 are included in the effort, but since Tier 5 was so brief and since five doesn’t rhyme with six, they are using “Fix Tier 6” for the campaign.

Currently, local presidents have been informing members about the vast and inequitable differences between these tiers. This semester, we have held four meetings with members in Tiers 5 and 6, two in person and two on Zoom. We will continue to educate our members on how NYSUT is working to Fix Tier 6.

We need the help of our members who are in Tier 4 to advocate for our union colleagues who are in Tiers 5 and 6. Even though this might not be impacting us directly, these are our friends and colleagues and they need our help. There are two things you can do to show support.

1. Scan the QR code at right to join NYSUT’s Fix Tier 6 team. You will receive updates on what is happening legislatively and how our elected officials are working to Fix Tiers 5 and 6.
   
   
2. Second, make sure you contribute to VOTE COPE. This voluntary political fundraising arm of NYSUT plays a major role in how we work with our elected officials. VOTE COPE helps us gain access to our elected state officials in the Assembly and Senate—the bodies that have the power to Fix Tier 6.
   
   Please consider giving $6 to our VOTE COPE program to help Fix Tier 6 or, if you already contribute, consider increasing your contribution. Even $1 a pay makes an enormous difference, and that’s only $26 a year for our full-time members.

Retirement—while it may be a long time away for some members—is an important part of a member’s employment and dignity. Let’s work together to Fix Tier 6.

If you are unsure which tier or retirement plan you are in, please reach out to me. I’ll be more than happy to share that information with you. I can also share the amount that you currently contribute to VOTE COPE if you’re unsure.

Here’s the website to join the Fix Tier 6 team: fixtier6.org/get-involved. After signing up, you can review the visuals that illustrate the differences among Tiers 4, 5 and 6. Let’s all work together to make our colleagues’ well earned retirements more fair and equitable for all.