“Every worker deserves to retire with dignity, and we are here to remind legislators of the promises made — and of the contributions and sacrifices workers have made to earn that right.”
The Ohio Public Pension Coalition is made up of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Education Association, the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, along with the Ohio AFL-CIO and the National Public Pension Coalition.
Each is contributing to fund OPPC’s work, OPPC said in a press release.
The coalition cites a variety of reasons why it is concerned, including a recent state budget amendment that changed the structure of the State Teachers Retirement System board to gradually replace voted members with appointed; an Ohio Senate bill from February announcing reforms to the state’s five public sector retirement systems and a recently introduced bill, House Bill 478, which would bar public employers from paying employee retirement contributions.
Public sector union presidents say these measures threaten their members’ livelihoods, could hurt recruitment to sectors that are already struggling to find qualified employees and will harm retired service members.
“A strong and stable pension is a must in order to attract people to the profession of policing,” said Jay McDonald, president of the FOP of Ohio.
OAPSE executive director Joe Rugola said members depend on the pension they earned while serving in public schools.
“Public employees retiring with dignity is a right we will vigorously defend,” he said.
Teachers unions say these reforms could hurt teachers’ abilities to live out their lives.
“Our union members choose public service because they want to help their communities — and they often turn down higher-paying careers to do so,” said Melissa Cropper, OFT president.
“Since they don’t pay into Social Security, their public pensions are what make it possible for them to retire with dignity and continue to contribute to their local economies even after they’ve left the workforce.”
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