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About this
Website
This website was
created and is maintained by webmaster Joe SanSevero. This is
the latest program of PARA to communicate with retirees more
effectively. It is a work in progress, and we hope to make it
better and better in the months ahead. We would like it to be the
best resource possible for you as a retiree, a place you can visit
to find information and news of interest, such as PA contacts for
benefit information, retiree reunions, new PA policies and
procedures affecting retirees and more. We welcome your input. If
it’s a question or comment about PARA activities,
Click Here to E-Mail Dick Helman. If it’s a question or comment
about the PARA website,
Click Here to E-Mail Joe SanSevero and Tom Kearney.
PARA Activities
We conduct research,
maintain contact with the Port Authority, cooperate with other
retiree associations, encourage retirees to work together toward
common goals and develop programs in support of PARA objectives.
From its inception, a major activity of PARA has been to work
closely with all interested parties to promote better cost-of-living
adjustments to retiree pensions. We are an active member of the
Alliance of Public Retiree Organizations of New York (APRO). While
these efforts have helped to achieve some key improvements thus far,
much more is needed. PARA is continuing to confer actively with
other retiree groups, the New York State comptroller, New York State
legislators and others to push for changes in legislation that will
help New York State retirees keep pace with increased living
expenses.
In New Jersey, we
have been monitoring proposed pension law changes and working to
obtain a more equitable treatment of the pension deduction under New
Jersey’s gross income tax provisions.
Through our para
phernalia newsletter, we keep PARA members informed on our work
to help achieve a better COLA arrangement and on other topics of
interest.
The Port Authority Retirees
Association (PARA) History
Retirees depend on their pensions to maintain
their quality of life during their senior years, but over time with
inflation their purchasing power is diminished. Every few years, the
New York State Legislature would half heartedly recommend a “supplement”
for NY State Retirement System retirees and then forward the legislation
to the Governor for signature. More often than not the Governor would
not sign the legislation, thereby causing financial hardships for many
retirees.
In the early 1980’s Comptroller Regan wrote to Governor Cuomo stating
that “an employee who retired in 1976 has only received supplementation
of 6% and yet the cost of living increased by 89%.” This left many Port
Authority retirees thousands of dollars behind federal retirees and
pensioners from other states whose pensions were tied into the “Cost of
Living Adjustment” (COLA) index.
Therefore, it was clear that the pensions of Port Authority retirees
were not keeping pace with inflation, and something needed to be done.
Consequently, a concerned group of eight Port Authority retirees decided
to organize the power of all 3000+ Port Authority retirees by creating
PARA and working with them and other NY State Retirement System retirees
to press for a COLA bill.
Those original eight Port Authority retirees who created PARA were::
Officers
Harold A. Milley, President
Cyril V. Storer, Vice President
John A. Huston, Jr. Treasurer
Board Members
Cletus F. Bamber
Richard Brady
Ralph A. Johnson
Stephen P. Kenny
Francis H. Werneke
The PA Human Resources Department provided PARA an address list of all
Port Authority retirees. The first semi-annual PARA Newsletter
issued in May 1987 clearly identified the need for a COLA. Retirees were
made aware of the need for group action and were provided names and
addresses of those legislators who needed to be contacted about the
problem.
That first Newsletter also identified that PARA was working closely with
the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA). RPEA includes all
of the New York State Retirement System retirees and has 19 active
chapters throughout New York State and several “retiree” states such as
Florida and the Carolinas. In fact, in the late 1980’s PARA and RPEA
officers were instrumental in creating another group called the Alliance
of Public Retiree Organizations (APRO) that includes the Retired
Teachers Association, the Retired Police Association and many other
retiree groups that represent a total of over 500,000 retirees. A PARA
representative attends monthly APRO meetings in Albany to assure that
all NYS retirees are working together on common retiree issues.
The most important issue facing PARA, APRO, and RPEA was getting a COLA
adjustment. That effort finally proved successful...to a degree. Your
September 2000 pension check showed an increase of 50% of the actual
COLA index for the first $18,000 of your pension. In addition all future
pension checks will be increased annually in September based on 50% of
the actual increase in the cost of living for the first $18,000. We are
clearly not satisfied with this but it is a beginning. PARA, APRO and
RPEA have continued to work diligently to get a full COLA, not a 50%
COLA and we want it for the full amount of the pension. This is a
long term commitment that will require perseverance, coordination and
good timing as we face significant obstacles. Besides COLA issues PARA
has been working on bringing retirees together via a greatly expanded
and more professional semi-annual Newsletter with photographs, news
items and other articles of interest to Port Authority Retirees. PARA
has established a “PARA WEBSITE” that contains links to many other
established websites including, but not limited to: the PANYNJ, NYS
Retirement System, Social Security System, United Health Care,
ExpressScripts, etc. etc... The PARA website also has other informative
and interesting features such as “Bulletin Boards” and “Chat Rooms”.
The website will continue to be expanded in the future.
From the first issue of the PARA Newsletter to the 37th Issue, we have
expanded to more than 4000 Port Authority retirees. The modest
annual dues of $5.00 helps retirees to keep apprised of what is going on
that may affect them.
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