NYSUT Retiree Services Program
NYSUT has one of the most active and successful
union retiree programs in the country. The NYSUT
Retiree Services Program, part of Program
Services, was established by NYSUT to help its
retirees organize and to act as a service provider
for those retiree groups. In an effort to better
serve the growing number of retirees, 11 retiree
services consultants have been hired to serve
members in the field.
The NYSUT Retiree Services Program provides printing,
mailing and other communications services; plans,
develops and coordinates regional membership
conferences; provides support for retiree council
meetings; provides communication and logistical
support for lobbying activities and rallies; publishes
a quarterly newsletter; answers post-retirement
questions; and helps obtain speakers and programming
for retiree councils and chapters.
The Teachers’ Retirement System
It may seem odd to ask someone just beginning a career to think about
retirement. But it is never too early, and information is available to help you
make informed decisions and plan intelligently.
All public school teachers and teaching assistants in New York belong to the
State Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), except those who teach in New York
City and belong to the City Teachers’ Retirement System. There are six retirement
“tiers” within the TRS: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, Tier 5 and Tier 6.
Your tier depends on when you first joined the retirement system. Under the
existing Retirement & Social Security Law all teachers and teaching assistants
who joined on or after Sept. 1, 1983, are in Tier 4.
All teachers and teaching assistants who joined on or after January 1, 2010,
are in Tier 5, and all teacher and teaching assistants who joined on or after April
1, 2012, are Tier 6.
The minimum criteria to retire with full pension for Tier 4 members is 55
years of age and 30 years of service; you can retire with less service at a reduced
pension. Tier 4 members are eligible to collect a pension, or vested in the
retirement system, after achieving five years of service credit and are required
to contribute 3 percent of their salaries until they have completed 10 years of
service credit.
The minimum criteria to retire with a full pension for Tier 5 members of TRS
is 57 years of age and 30 years of service; you can retiree with less service at a reduced
pension. Tier 5 members of TRS are vested in the retirement system after
achieving 10 years of service credit. They contribute 3.5 percent of their salaries
for the life of their employment.
Tier 6 members can collect a full pension at age 63 and are vested in the retirement
system after achieving 10 years of service credit. Tier 6 members contribute
to the retirement system for the life of their employment. The amount
Tier 6 members contribute is based on their salary and ranges between 3 and 6
percent.
Your employer also contributes; the rate fluctuates from year to year and is
set each year by the TRS Board of Directors. Three members of this board are
teachers. Questions from TRS members about retirement are addressed in a
column that appears in each issue of NYSUT’s membership newsmagazine,
NYSUT United. Your teacher-board representatives are available to answer
questions and discuss NYSUT’s efforts to improve your pension.
TRS publishes a Members’ Handbook for all Tiers. Copies are online and
available from the NYSTRS at 800-348-7298. In New York City, Mel Aronson,
Sandra March and Mona Romain are three teacher-members of the New York
City Retirement System Board. They can be reached at 212-598-9536.
New York City teachers and paraprofessionals who have questions about
retirement can also call a pension representative in the borough offices of the
United Federation of Teachers. The borough office numbers are:
- Bronx: 718-379-6200
- Brooklyn: 718-852-4900
- Manhattan: 212-598-6800
- Queens: 718-275-4400
- Staten Island: 718-605-1400
Retirement System for Non-Instructional Employees
The benefits available for non-instructional employees depend on the school
board’s decision to participate in the New York State Employees’ Retirement System. There is no law that requires them to do so, but if they elect to participate,
the law precludes the establishment of any retirement system for a civil
service employee other than the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS).
Permanent, 12-month, full-time employees must join the system.
Part-time employees have the option to join the system and are encouraged
to do so. They should contact their district’s business office.
Employees’ contributions are paid into ERS by payroll deduction each payroll
period. Employers’ contributions to ERS are paid once each year upon receipt
of a bill from the system.
Active ERS and TRS members who worked for a period of time with a public
employer prior to joining, or rendered service in the U.S. Armed Forces, may
be able to claim retirement credit for that service. Members are encouraged to
contact their retirement system directly to determine their eligibility for this
additional service credit and the process through which to obtain retirement
credit.
Members who have retired from service, but want to return to public employment,
may be able to do so without a diminution of their retirement benefits.
Retired members who would like to return to public service are encouraged to
contact the ERS or TRS directly for more information on the different options
that are available.
Retirement for private-sector employees is a subject for negotiation.
Members should consult their collective bargaining agreements and local
leadership for information about retirement benefits available to them.
Teachers’ Insurance Annuities Association-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF)
is available to members in public higher
education who have the choice of joining
TIAA-CREF (a defined-contribution benefit
plan), the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS),
or the State Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS).
(The latter two are defined-benefit pension
plans.)
What Every NYSUT Member Should Know About...