SF Labor Council Endorses Charter Amendment Restoring Retiree Benefits
The campaign behind the Retiree Supplemental Cost of Living Adjustment Charter Amendment is pleased to announce that the San Francisco Labor Council has voted to endorse its efforts.
“We are delighted to have the Labor Council’s endorsement,” said Fred Sanchez, co-chair of the campaign to restore retiree benefits. “This charter amendment is about righting a wrong and restoring earned benefits for some of our most vulnerable seniors. The Labor Council’s support highlights our obligation to take care of our seniors in their golden years.”
Because of changes to the San Francisco City Charter more than a decade ago, approximately 4,500 city retirees have had their pensions unfairly compromised. These changes stripped away their supplemental Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), and forced many to live on pensions of as little as $22,000 a year.
The Charter Amendment will eliminate the full funding requirement for supplemental COLA benefit payments to members of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System who retired before November 6, 1996.
The San Francisco Labor Council joins a growing list of endorsements of the Retiree Supplemental Cost of Living Adjustment Charter Amendment. Supporters include the Bernal Heights Democratic Club, the California Alliance for Retired Americans, the Grey Panthers and the San Francisco Living Wage Coalition, among others.
