Tiers of Membership

The Teachers' Retirement System is divided into five tiers, which are distinguished by dates of membership (a.k.a., EmplID). Tier 1 members may continue to make voluntary contributions to their Annuity Savings Fund through payroll deduction only if they have continually been contributing. Tier 2 members are not permitted to contribute to the System. The law requires Tiers 3 and 4 members to contribute 3% of their salary toward retirement, and Tier 5 members must contribute 3.5% of their salary.


Tier 1 members allowed to make voluntary contributions to their retirement in the form of the Annuity Savings Fund  ---- so YES some teachers in Tier 1 were able and actually did contribute to their pension plan

Tier—A classification that specifies the type of benefits for which a member may be eligible. Tier status is determined by a member's NYSTRS date of membership.

Tier

Date of Membership

1      Before 7/1/73

2      7/1/73 — 7/26/76

3      7/27/76 — 8/31/83

4      9/1/83 — 12/31/09

5      On or after 1/1/10


Tier system was set up by act of the State Legislature and Governor in 1973 -  this was a reform that
created the Tier 1 and Tier 2  and basically tried to "tie the loose ends" of the various pension plans being offered across the state.   Teachers - in some school districts - prior to 1973 made mandatory contributions to their retirement  but after 1973 those became voluntary contributions


Member Contributions

Tier 1 and 2 members who made voluntary contributions, transferred contributions from another public retirement system or purchased prior service credit may withdraw those funds (and interest earned) at retirement, or receive an annuity throughout retirement in addition to the employer-funded pension described earlier.


(all above information is from NYSTRS)

Before 1973 - depending on the school district and its contract - teachers made contributions to their
retirement ... after 1973 (when Tier 1 and Tier 2 were established in law),  tier 1 employees could continue
to make VOLUNTARY contributions to the pension system  but they were no longer required to.   Quite a
number of "tier 1 teachers" chose to continue making voluntary contributions  thus it is FACTUAL and TRUE
to state that some teachers in tier 1 contributed to their own pensions.

What does this have to do with the 'outside rotterdam' thread? I guess I'm wondering why this is an issue.  

He responded to it because he said his high-pensioned aunt contributed to her pension so "only part" of it is paid by the taxpayers.  I knew she had to be Tier 1, and I kind of thought there maybe have been some small contribution at one time.  So he found the info.

However, he did NOT divulge how teeny weeny amount she would have contributed.  So 99% of her HIGH pension (public information) is funded by the taxpayers. Guareanteed pension, guaranteed raises periodically, AND taxpayer funded health insurance, maybe with a SMALL contribution by the insured.

And I provided the information that shows that these high pensions are bankrupting the municipalities.  

People can brag about contributing to their pensions when they've paid in 90% of what they will get back over their retirement.    

Must be nice to stiff the taxpayers, those taxpayers who take two jobs to pay these fat cats, these taxpayers who go without meds to pay the health insurance of these pensioners, to pay huge pensions to people who never were outside in 100 degree heat on black top, people who never where in the dangerous mines, people who never got electrical shock up high working on electrical wires during ice storms, people who never had one's life in their hands, people who never had to run into a burning building, etc,

Quoted from rachel72

What does this have to do with the 'outside rotterdam' thread? I guess I'm wondering why this is an issue.  

or why anyone cares

bend over, taxpayers get the shaft, as always.

Quoted from rachel72

What does this have to do with the 'outside rotterdam' thread? I guess I'm wondering why this is an issue.  

This became an issue because MikeChristine chose to personally attack my aunt on this blog.  
MikeChristine is a liar and a vile, disgusting person.  There is absolutely no reason for him-her to
attack family members of people who are on this site.

But don't worry - one day he-she will get what is coming to him-her.

My aunt was a hard-working teacher for 43 years .. she PAID INTO her pension plan for years before the
1973  and continued to do so, voluntarily, for years afterwards.    

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

This became an issue because MikeChristine chose to personally attack my aunt on this blog.  
MikeChristine is a liar and a vile, disgusting person.  There is absolutely no reason for him-her to
attack family members of people who are on this site.

But don't worry - one day he-she will get what is coming to him-her.

My aunt was a hard-working teacher for 43 years .. she PAID INTO her pension plan for years before the
1973  and continued to do so, voluntarily, for years afterwards.    

It's NOT an "attack" on your aunt specifically.  It is merely providing facts from public records.   And a teeny weeny contribution doesn't come even remotely close to what a retiree will receive.    

We all pay into social security and the vast majority of people will "get back" their lifetime contribution within  a couple years.   Look at your annual statement (thie is NOT exclusively directed at you DV, but at all who read this).  You may find after 30 years of working that you have paid into it $50,000 and then you look at the amount you could get at varying possible retirement ages.  So you see a monthly benefit of $1,500 then you would get $18,000 a year and after three years, you are totally getting paid by the government.   People on social security don't get a pension based on what they put in to it.  And I trust you do know that SS is in trouble financially and today's young people are concerned that they'll never see what they are paying into it.

Likewise, public sector pensions are the same way.  THey are bankrupting us.  

Ten years of pension would mean collecting a half million dollars.  In order for a retiree of the public sector to make a statement that they are not paid by the taxpayers because they “voluntarily contributed”, that retiree would have had to “voluntarily contribute” probably 50% of their gross pay.  Mathematically it’s near impossible.  Consider this.  IF a person was paid $50,000 a year and “voluntarily” contributed 25%,  that would mean “contributing” $12,500 into the system every year.  After 40 years of working, the person would have paid in $500,000 of their own income.  No attacks, but merely public information and if someone was getting  a pension of only $50,000 over ten years means getting back that $500,000.  I’m sure that in the 1960’s that teachers were not getting paid $50,000 a year.   So even paying 25% of say, $20,000 and then 25% of the $22,000 pay after a raise, etc. etc. that wouldn’t come anywhere close to what the retiree gets paid in just the first 10 years of retirement, more likely no one has ever contributed enough to “fully fund” even the first five years of retirement.  A pension of $50,000 a year (without factoring in COLA’s) over 30 years means getting $1.5 million in pension.   The taxpayers who are funding the retirees probably only dream of getting a salary of $50,000 a year, pensions are almost non-existent.  The taxpayers cannot afford to bestow a $1.5 million on each retiree.   Then, there is the other piece of information.  Then their spouse can get part of the pension for the rest of his or her life.  No spouse?  Well, designate your child.  So imagine this.  Retiree gets $1.5 million over 30 years, then dies, and has named a (adult) child to get some benefit which I understand could be as much as 50% of the pension and that could be for the rest of that child’s life.  So if a child is 50 when mum or dad pass after 30 years retired, then the child might collect $25,000 a year for the next 30 years.  Gosh, what if they name a grandchild to get their pension?   Mind boggling and an eye opener to how much burden is placed on the taxpayers who simply cannot afford anymore.

While working for 40 years, particularly in the same employer is commendable, one must remember, that teachers do not get fired.  Once they get tenure, they’re safe.  They are more secure than Raucci’s school board members were for as long as he held his stronghold.  There are people who have been nurses for 40 years, and they don’t have it as easy as teachers, they don’t get summer off, they often will have to do 16 hours on Christmas on their feet most of the day, cleaning up sh*t, have the lives of their patients in their hands, sometimes they are saving lives, but they don’t get $1.5 million in pension.  How about construction workers, working outside in all kinds of weather, encountering many dangers which could leave them paralyzed for life, etc, they don’t even have a pension.
  
The fact is, the taxpayers simply CANNOT afford these tax burdens anymore,  Teachers unions I feel are by far the strongest unions, sometimes more so than the police and fire.  They don’t care in the least that they will get pension twice as much as the people who are paying them earn while working.  The saddest part is that while changes can be made to these pension plans, it will take an act of the state legislature and it wouldn’t have a positive effect for 30 years at least, that is, if a law changed something today, it would only affect employees who start working now.  .

the he-she monkey is blowing smoke out his-her butt again

but no one laughs anymore .. because the he-she monkey is just a pathetic loser

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

the he-she monkey is blowing smoke out his-her butt again

but no one laughs anymore .. because the he-she monkey is just a pathetic loser

See, I knew you couldn't help but respond.  

Your therapist must have a field day on your visitation days.

Quoted from 147

See, I knew you couldn't help but respond.  

Your therapist must have a field day on your visitation days.

I believe you are speaking about your own mental health issues.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I believe you are speaking about your own mental health issues.

I'm not the one that had a hissy fit and promised never to reply to a mikechristine1 thread again.

Quoted from 147

I'm not the one that had a hissy fit and promised never to reply to a mikechristine1 thread again.

no -  you are the one who pretends to be a holy person ... yet acts like a jerk

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

no -  you are the one who pretends to be a holy person ... yet acts like a jerk

Holy? Because I belong to an organization?  you're a funny species.

Quoted from 147

Holy? Because I belong to an organization?  you're a funny species.

actually ...  self-righteous and pompous would describe you better