Record of Testimony

As I begin to “plead my case” I am somewhat hesitant. The reason I am hesitant is because I think this is, most likely, an exercise in futility just as the pension hearings I attended many years ago were. Those hearings were a “fait accompli.”

I want to address the issue of the Rhode Island State Police Retirees Cola situation and give you a little background on what we all went through to earn our Cola.

My testimony concerns only those individuals who had retired prior to the pension overhaul of 2011. I am one of those individuals. I retired in 2006 following a thirty-two year career at the Department of Labor and Training.

The pension change of 2011 was financially devastating to my family. Many of my immediate and extended family were teachers at the time of the change.

I have been a teacher for 34 years. Most of my career was spent in Cumberland R.I. We were one of the lowest paying communities in R.I. Many years we froze our salaries or received a 1% raise which did not even cover the increase in the medical benefits.

SUGGESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE PENSION ADVISORY WORKING GROUP:

I implore you to find some way to restore our COLA.  I retired in 2002 and was legally promised a COLA by contract.  I taught in Smithfield which did not contribute to Social Security.  Due to other employment, I do get a reduce SS each month.  I became a widow in

This week, The Pension Advisory Group was presented with the costs associated with the restoration of some of the retirement benefits that were cut during the 2011 Pension Overhaul.

I am writing to convey the adverse effects that the Retirement Security Act has imposed on my professional trajectory.

What will be done for the current employees who did not make the cutoff in 2011 and are only contributing 1% instead of 2.28% before the enactment of the changes? Let's use the money in the TIAA account and purchase back the 1.28 percent.