I’m proud to know that our community has one of the largest populations of governmental employees - dedicated men and women who work in public service to make our State and communities thrive. It’s a laudable career. Of course, one of the major benefits of having a governmental employee job is the pension which is a retirement plan for those who work in public service. Upon retirement, a pension can be accessed and this results in monthly monetary allotments, healthcare insurance and coverage, and the distribution of benefits to any beneficiaries. Throughout a career in public service you contribute to your own pension, which ensures a form of stability in retirement. As Chairwoman of the Committee on Governmental Employees, which oversees all City and State employees, and their retirement benefits, I vowed to protect and advance pensions. During my tenure as your Assemblywoman, I have done that, and taken even stronger steps to build up the retirement system and make sure no one gets diminished benefits.

Tier 6 (Tier 3 for police and firefighters) is the most recent pension plan that now has over 50% of our public workforce enrolled in it. This plan was created in 2012 and has resulted in individuals working longer, and receiving less benefits than those in other pension plans. It was obvious to me that Tier 6 needed a change and I committed to workers and their families to enact pension reform! The first change happened in 2022 as I helped amend the ‘vesting period’ for Tier 6 workers from 10 years to 5 years. That means that after 5 years of public service you are permanently in the pension system - you’re covered. This was important because all other public employees had this protection and benefit after 5 years, but not our most recent hires. After that change, I focused on amending the final average salary - or the salaries that calculate a person's pension. My bill, A.9133, was included in the 2024 State budget and made an important change from the current 5-year final average salary calculation, to now being derived from the ‘highest 3 consecutive years’ to determine a person’s pension. This guarantees that pensions will be calculated from your highest salaries, making sure that when a person retires, they get more money in their pockets!

The Tier 6 changes were huge and will help our new and future workers. However, I also demanded we take care of our retirees. Retired governmental employees deserve the retirement plan they were promised. When New York City made the appalling decision to force 250,000 retirees to switch to the Medicare Advantage, I joined with retiree groups like the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees and National NYCPD 10-13 to combat this problem. While the lawsuit to stop this disastrous plan appears to be successful, I agree with all retirees that we need legislative action to ensure that no one can take away your health insurance. After months of legislative work and conversations with retirees in our own community, and throughout NYS, last week, as Chairwoman of the Committee on Governmental Employees, I brought A.7866 to the table for a vote. This bill would prohibit public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to retirees and their beneficiaries. And guess what...THE BILL PASSED COMMITTEE! Now the bill is off to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Since being appointed to the role of Chairwoman of the Committee on Governmental Employees I have worked to pass other protections and benefits for our current workers and retirees. Bills like: A.7414 which guarantees surviving spouses and domestic partners of fallen firefighters will always have health insurance benefits, A.7156 which changed the law to make sure eligible City workers who could be in the BERS retirement system were automatically enrolled, and A.6806 which ensures that governmental employees who retired from an on-the-job injury and their spouses have access to the New York State Health Insurance Plan (NYSHIP) - all of which have been signed into law.

While pension reform and retiree healthcare may not be a sexy topic, they matter. Our governmental employees and their families deserve respect- retired or actively working. As Chairwoman, and your Assemblywoman, I do everything I can to help our current workforce and our retirees. If you or someone you know might be interested in a job with the State or City government, they can find openings at either statejobs.ny.gov or cityjobs.nyc.gov. As the legislative session continues, I will continue to work to deliver more results for the people of the 23rd Assembly District! As always, do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at 718-945-9550 or by email at amatos@nyassembly.gov. It is a pleasure to serve you and I look forward to representing you for many more years to come.