Solidarity with retirees

Sign-in PRO on SB 5113 today to support cost of living adjustments for retired public employees

OLYMPIA, WA (January 23, 2025) — Retired public employees vested in the PERS/TRS 1 pension plan are working to pass a cost of living adjustment this legislative session, after over a decade of advocacy. With a bill finally before the Legislature, retirees and advocates are calling on labor and allies for support.

The PERS/TRS 1 plan is the only pension plan that does not have an automatic, annual COLA. 14 years ago, the Legislature eliminated the recurring annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) for retirees vested in PERS/TRS 1 as a budget balancing maneuver. The Retired Public Employees Council of Washington (RPEC), Washington Education Association-Retired and other labor partners have been fighting ever since to have the Legislature restore the annual COLA.

Retirees gather in Olympia to advocate for COLAs. Photo: RPEC

This pension plan closed in 1977.  The average age of these retirees is 79. Many of the individuals in this plan are women; because of the gender wage gap, they earned lower salaries when employed and therefore earn some of the lowest pensions in the state. Since 2011, these retirees have lost 41% of their purchasing power because their pensions have not kept pace with inflation.

Of those covered by PERS/TRS 1 plan, 63% have pensions worth less than $30,000 annually; 91% have pensions worth less than $48,000. While one-time COLAs have been achieved in the past, retirees are looking for real security, and calling on the Legislature to pass SB 5113, sponsored by Senator Matt Boehnke, a one-time COLA of 3% in 2025 and a recurring COLA in 2026, in line with all other state pension beneficiaries in the state who receive a 3% COLA annually.

TAKE A STAND: sign in PRO on SB 5113 before 3pm today. Three quick steps:

1. Click here
2. Under “Position” Select PRO
3. Enter your name and information