‘Why do we not deserve to keep up with the cost of living?’

MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Tony Gonzales provided the testimony below today to the Maine Legislature’s Labor Committee in support of legislation strengthening the retirement security of Maine’s retired state workers and retired public school teachers:

Senator Tipping, Representative Roeder, members of the Labor Committee. I am Tony Gonzales of Milo and I am writing in support of LD 1040 and LD 900.

Have any members of this committee been paid to shovel a drive way when you were kids? Mow a lawn?

Now imagine you took these jobs on your street for $10/job. You could make $15 the next town over, but you took $10 to help your neighbor. You work all winter, your neighbor praises your good work, but only pays you $5/job because they made a choice, and didn’t prioritize your work, not valued your agreement in their budgeting. That’s how it feels to be a retired worker for the Great State of Maine every single day.

I started working for the Maine Department of Transportation in 1993 as a laborer. Over my 25 years of service, I worked my way up to crew leader of the Milo DOT. Wages were lower than the private sector but good benefits and overtime were the tradeoff. When I was hired, the agreement was that I meet my retirement obligations of 20 years to the department and I would receive state health insurance for life. The goalposts were moved. The retirement age went up from age 60 and 20-years’ service, to age 62 and 25 years of service! Plus, my health insurance costs changed to my detriment.

In 2011 we were asked to share the pain when LePage and the Legislature decided to: Increase the Retirement Age from 62 to 65; Cap the Cost-of-Living Adjustment from 4% to 3%; Only apply up to 3% of a Cost-of-Living Adjustment to the first $20,000 of retiree’s pensions.

This has resulted in robbing billions of dollars in earned benefits for thousands of retired Mainers. I still am feeling the pain from the choices made on this campus. In 2011 the rich got a billion-dollar tax break! Cuts were made to us; we shared the pain of Wall Street’s failures during the Great Recession. We have been demonized for what we do as state employees to justify what has been taken from us – a cost-of-living adjustment. This was unacceptable then, and it’s unacceptable now. Why do we not deserve to keep up with the cost of living?

In the past several years, expenses have risen continuously. Basing COLA’s on our entire benefit will help us meet these costs. Please do the right thing and work to make sure there is funding to stop exploiting my earned retirement. I urge this committee and all of its members to start making progress on fixing this broken promise.

Taking back this promise has screwed me over in more ways than one. We’ve gone the extra mile for you, the people of Maine and we’ve been betrayed. I worked long and hard hours to support my son and wife – with the promise of retirement security, I knew the sacrifice of my time then would pay itself off. Then I lost my son and my wife. I lost time with them I will never get back. You have taken my money, and you have taken my time away from my family.

A man’s and woman’s measure is their word. It’s not too late for this body to make good on yours with these legislative initiatives. We have been robbed, and you all have the power to work to start paying us back. You know where to look for funding!

Thank you.