Retired union members fight for COLA

Join RPEC and WEA-Retired for a silent demonstration of solidarity September 17 at the State Capitol

OLYMPIA, WA (August 29, 2024) — Retired union members, advocates and allies will gather at the State Capitol on Tuesday, September 17 as the Select Committee on Pension Policy votes on proposals to fund a recurring cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for PERS/TRS 1 retirees.

Retired workers on the PERS/TRS 1 plan have lost 40% of their purchasing power since the Legislature removed their recurring COLA 13 years ago. The vast majority of retirees on this plan have annual pensions less than $50,000 — untenable in a state with one of the highest costs of living in the country. Retired Public Employees Council of Washington (RPEC) and Washington Education Association (WEA) – Retired are leading a fight to secure a reoccurring COLA to provide more support for retired public workers. 

PERS/TRS 1 is the only state pension plan that does not have an automatic COLA for all members. Most members of the plan have only received four COLAs since 2010, despite decades-high inflation in the last four years alone. The result: many Plan 1 retirees are being priced out of their homes and unable to afford basic necessities.

Without reoccurring COLAs, retirees who have spent their working lives providing public services are struggling.

“I am an 85-year-old widow,” said RPEC member Zaida Zapata Quimby. “I worked for King County Metro from 1963 until my retirement in 1999.  Unable to survive on my pension, in 2000, I went back to work as an usher at the Benaroya Hall/Seattle Symphony.  I tried to retire in 2021 due to ongoing health issues but was forced to return to work in 2022 to pay my bills.  I can now only work four or five days a month due to ongoing health issues that impact my mobility. A recurring Plan 1 COLA would significantly improve my life and would enable me to finally fully retire.”

TAKE A STAND — All are invited to stand in solidarity with retired union siblings on Tuesday, September 17 in Olympia. Sign up today. 

DATE: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

TIME: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

LOCATION: John L. O’Brien Building, House Hearing Room A

WHAT: Select Committee on Pension Policy hearing on recurring COLA for PERS/TRS 1 retirees.

WHEN: Meet by 9:45 a.m. at the sun dial between the Cherberg & O’Brien legislative office buildings on the Capitol campus. We will silently proceed together to the hearing room to take our seats. 

DETAILS:
Wear your union/organization shirts in solidarity.
Talking, cell phone use, and signs or noise makers are strictly prohibited in hearing room.
Post-hearing celebration to follow at the WSLC building, 906 Columbia Street SW, 3rd Floor Conference Room. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Questions: email info@rpecwa.org or call 1-800-562-6097