Albany, NY – Members of District 16 in Brooklyn talk about Fixing Tier 6 and other UFT priorities with Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman (in red) in the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on UFT Lobby Day in Albany.
Fixing Tier 6, increasing state funding for public schools and boosting pay for child care providers were among the top priorities as about 1,000 UFT members and parents traveled to Albany on March 16 for the annual Lobby Day of the UFT.
After arriving at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, participants heard from union leadership and elected officials before breaking into groups to meet with their local legislators ahead of the April 1 state budget deadline.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew urged members to press lawmakers on pension reform and school funding, emphasizing that the stakes extend beyond individual benefits to the long-term health of the education system.
“We’ve got a bit of work to do,” he told the crowd.
Participants made their priorities visible throughout the day, wearing “Fix Tier 6” bandannas, T-shirts and beanies and carrying noisemakers, clappers and maracas as they moved between meetings with legislators and their staff.
For those unable to travel to Albany, virtual Lobby Day events were held at school sites across New York City.
Mulgrew sharply criticized the creation of Tier 6 in 2012 under then Gov. Andrew Cuomo, arguing that its existence has made it harder to recruit and retain educators by requiring longer service (retirement without penalty at age 63 instead of the age 55 enjoyed by members in earlier pension tiers) and higher employee contributions.
That message was echoed in members’ meetings with lawmakers. Yona Adika, an occupational therapist at the Academy for Software Engineering in Manhattan, told Assembly Member Alex Bores that Tier 6 was introduced as a cost-saving measure at the expense of workers.
“What are we really saving by telling employees they have to work 40 years before they can retire with dignity?” Adika asked, referring to the fact that most educators begin their careers at about age 22, over four decades before age 63.
