My name is Susan Lusignan and I have worked for the City of East Providence since I was 16 years old. After a semester in college, I decided I needed to earn money and left to pursue employment. In 1996, I began working full time for the East Providence Library however, for two years I did not have any benefits because, at that time, the council had implemented a job freeze. In 1998, at the age of 21, I officially began working as a full-time employee.

Good Afternoon,

My name is Deborah Catamero, I want to thank you for your service to the retirees of RI through your time on this advisory group. By trade, I am an educator who served the students and families of Providence RI for 28 years prior to my retirement in 2009. I began my career as a special education teacher and later worked as an elementary school principal.

The changes made by the “Rhode Island Retirement Security Act of 2011” are unjust for many reasons. Chief among them is that many workers like myself took lower pay for future promised benefits that are now greatly diminished. Pay scales, however, have not been adjusted to reflect this new reality. This is especially true for workers with advanced degrees or professional certifications. It has now become increasingly difficult for state agencies to now attract these types of professionals. These points have been made by many.

I am almost 71 years old and I am still teaching because I cannot afford to retire. This is my 23rd year teaching. If I retire this year I will receive approximately $1900.00 a month. I am all alone and my sole support. If I retire I cannot afford Medicare or be able to keep my house. When I went into teaching my pension would have been significantly higher. Can someone tell me how I am supposed to survive with everything increasing? I get up every morning and go to work. I used to believe that it would all be alright but at this point I am truly disgusted with the system.

Hello- I began my career with the State of Rhode Island in 1987, what I signed up for back then is no longer in existence. At that time if you worked 28 full time years for the state you could retire at any age with 60% of your last 3 years of employment or 34 full time years for the state you could retire with 80% of your last 3 years. That 3 years was changed to 5 years in both scenarios. I feel these changes should have started with new hires not employees who had been working or were vested. That also changed from being vested after 10 years to 5 years.

I am a former RI teacher who taught 30years. I loved teaching but if I were starting today I would apply in CT or MA not RI. When I started I signed a contract that promised me a pension that included a cola. I was not allowed to pay into Social Security. As a teacher I spent those 30 years teaching children to do the right thing and follow rules. I'm now thinking I did the wrong thing. Even the state no longer does the "right" thing.

Enclosed please find a list of Points to Consider to support the restoration of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for the group previously referenced.

I am a retired Public Administrator from the State of RI.  It is my request that you  seriously consider to restore the 3% Cost of Living Adjustment to state workers authorized by RIGL 36-10-35  who retired prior to the November 18, 2011 passage of pension legislation. 

My name is Mary Riley a Chapter 94 retiree, here is my testimony.

I was so happy to get a job working for the State of Rhode Island while continuing my education at night. I believed the job came with a promise in the form of a contract. I promised to work with honor and respect. I promised to respect the residents of the State because I knew I basically worked for the public. The State according to this contract promised if I worked honorably for 28 years, I would receive benefits also known as a pension with cola adjustments. That promise would allow me to have a plan for my future when the 28 years of honorable service ended.

I am writing in regards to the MERS Police & Fire pensions. Due to the 2012 Pension Reforms, first responders now have to work longer careers to satisfy the minimal pension requirements for retirement. People who could have retired, can not retire, and now are creating liability for the departments to being health and safety risks (i.e. a police officer/firefighter being 65yoa or older).