Brian Anderson, Legislative Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 4, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and talked about a deal that not only saved the State of Connecticut millions of dollars, but also saved the pensions of public employees.
AFSCME Council 4 serves nearly 28,000 public and municipal workers in the state of Connecticut. The Council ensures public employees receive a fair and equitable living for the work they perform. Unfortunately, for some Council 4 members, their pension plan was in trouble and faced a $1 billion shortfall.
According to Anderson, the pension’s troubles arose as mayors from all over The Constitution State attacked the pension fund. Had Council 4 not fought against these attacks, the damage would have been fatal to the state’s public pension program. During the most recent state legislative session, an agreement was reached between municipal leaders and state policymakers to stabilize CT Municipal Employees and Retirement System (CMERS). The deal saved the state nearly $750 million, and Anderson went into great detail to explain how he and his team created such large savings.
He did note that all Connecticut municipal workers are eligible for pensions, as some towns in the state do not offer firefighters, police officers and city workers pensions. The Council advocated for the passage of a bill to give all public employees pensions. Unfortunately, members of the House defeated this attempt. Anderson said that despite the setback, there are plans to refile the bill and give all public employees in Connecticut the ability to join a pension plan.
To learn more about this pension-saving deal, press the play button.