Roberta Randall

I am one of the active Rhode Island employees who has severely felt the impact of the Pension Overhaul under Governor Raimondo. I have been a state employee for 30 years with the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. When I began work for the state, I was promised a pension. The pension and other benefits were the reason I gave up a business and took a substantial pay cut to work for the state. My husband was self-employed and the security that the state job offered was very important.

I was 61 years old with five or six years to retirement when the promised pensions for state workers were overhauled. Though some state workers who had more than 20 years were grandfathered, I was not because I only had 19 years and 8 months. So I am now 72 years years old and still working with no end in sight. I cant afford to retire and keep my house. With the cost of real estate now, I also cant afford to move. The 401 plan that replaced the pension was not a good solution for me or others that are my age because we do not have the time to let it grow.

The promise of a pension when I was hired was a contract that has been broken. Myself and others who find themselves in a similar situation deserve to be able to retire and enjoy life after having been dedicated state employees for many years.

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