{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "AFSCME District Council 37",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/afscme-district-council-37",
"title": "Fix Tier 6! ",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/440/541/normal/Tier_6_Campaign.png",
"description": "Dear Assemblymember/Senator, It’s time to Fix Tier 6! New York State is facing a recruitment and retention crisis in public service. As a public employee and AFSCME DC 37 union member, I know firsthand the impact that staffing vacancies, mandated overtime, and high turnover have on the services we provide. One cause of the recruitment and retention crisis is Tier 6. Historically, public service workers had stable pay with quality benefits and a strong pension. While our private sector counterparts made higher salaries, workers like me stayed in public service because of the promise of a secure retirement. That’s no longer the case. Tier 6 workers pay higher contribution rates than other public workers, for a lesser benefit. We pay a sliding scale of 3-6% of our salaries into the pension system for our entire careers. When our wages increase, so do our contributions. This means we lose out on much-needed cost of living increases. We can fix this by setting the contribution rate at 3% for all employees in Tier 6, giving most of these workers an immediate raise. Over time, improving the pension benefit of Tier 6 will help us recruit more workers into public service. For new workers, this will save them tens of thousands of dollars over their career. It's time to fix Tier 6. New York's workforce deserves better. Please stand with workers by calling for the final budget to include the reduction of Tier 6 contribution rates down to 3%.",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/letters/fix-tier-6-action-alert"
}