WHY ARE WE FALLING BEHIND? 

The NYCERS and MABSTOA pension COLA increase is calculated as 50% of the previous year’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 3%, no matter how high the CPI goes.  Also, the COLA is applied only to the first $18,000 of our annual benefit, which is another hit to the pension’s value.  Because of the $18,000 rule, the COLA increase is never compounded from the previous year.

In the past ten years, the CPI has gone up 31 percent, but transit retirees have received only 15.3 percent, and again, applied only to the first $18,000 of the benefit.  

By comparison, Social Security provides the entire amount of the CPI as a COLA, and it is applied to the entire benefit, compounded each year.  In other words, if the CPI is 5 percent, Social Security grants a 5 percent increase to the entire benefit.

That is what the TWU Local 100 Retirees Association wants for transit pensions.  But the only way to change the COLA, or any pension related improvements, is through legislation in Albany.

James Whalen, Director of the Retirees Association, said “we have been advocating for this change for a long time.  We are happy that the union is taking the first steps to get this done in Albany.”

WHAT IS THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS?

The process for passing pension improvement legislation is not complicated, but it is time consuming, and it can take several legislative sessions to accomplish. 

The first step is drafting of the bill itself and arranging for a sponsor or sponsors in both the Assembly and State Senate.

Because a pension improvement bill involves budgetary concerns, the bill needs what is call a “Fiscal Note,” or fiscal impact statement.  A fiscal note must be requested by the 

sponsor of the bill or by the chair of the committee to which the bill is referred.

For this particular bill, three fiscal notes could be required; one for NYCERS, one for the MABSTOA pension plan, and possibly one for the MTA which funds the plans, along with workers’ contributions.

LOCAL 100 LOBBY DAY IS MARCH 25, 2026

Your Retirees Association leadership will be in Albany for Lobby Day.  We will have a clearly marked table where retirees can muster so we can lobby key legislators as a group. 

Let’s show Albany that retirees care deeply about this issue.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR LOBBY DAY

Members of the TWU Local 100 Retirees Association Staff, including Director James Whalen; Manager Barry Roberts, and Staff Coordinator Shalena Lindsey, manned a Retirees table at the Local 100 Mass Membership Assembly on Jan. 24, 2026. Many active members dropped by to say hello and pick up literature regarding the steps that should be taken to ensure a smooth transition from active employment to retirement from TA and OA.

More than 2500 members attended the assembly at the Javits Center on 11th Avenue to solidify support for the union’s upcoming contract fight with the MTA. The current agreement expires on May 15, 2026.

Local 100 President John Chiarello proclaimed the the two-percent wage increase the Authority has already budgeted for in its financial projections “isn’t an offer, it’s an insult.” Chiarello said the union wants to stay ahead of inflation, which is well beyond the two percent budgeted increases.

TWU International President Mike Quill and Local 100 President Daniel Gilmartin (center in photo) tell the media the union will strike on Jan. 1, 1966 unless a contract is reached.

RA Director James Whalen, Manager Barry Roberts, RA Staff Coordinator Shalena Lindsey, and staffers Victoria Griss and Carolyn Surian made sure everyone had a memorable experience.

Local 100 President John Chiarello greeted guests and creditied the retirees with building TWU.  Other guests included Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp. Recording Secretary Shirley Martin and CED officer Joan Bygrave.  Also, RA Executive Board members Emily Louise Allen, Deloris Frazier, James Manzella, and Theresa Green.  

RA member Clyburn Sowell, 101-years old, was greeted warmly and received a standing ovation.

Director James Whalen and Association Manager Barry Roberts chaired the event that featured presentations by representatives from Aetna, the MTA Business Service Center, the MABSTOA Pension Fund, Cigna Dental, and more.

In his report to the membership, Director Whalen said that calls to the Association regarding the Aetna Medicare Advantage plans had dropped to only a few a week from scores of inquiries when coverage changed after the last Local 100 contract.  

Whalen also reported that membership in the Association had grown to 8,400 and he said he hoped to grow that number to 10,000 in the next year.

Look for the Holiday Edition of the 2025 Senior Buzz for a full report on the membership assembly.

Top photo shows a part of the crowd at the membership assembly in the Bronx. Above, the Retirees Association staff, including, standing from the left, Barry Roberts and Shalena Lindsey; seated from the left, James Whalen, Carolyn Surian and Victoria Griss.

Social Security will notify recipients about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December 2025.

Similar to last year, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a simplified, one-page COLA notice, which uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of an individual’s new benefit amount and any deductions.

Individuals who have my Social Security accounts can view their COLA notices online, which is secure, easy, and faster than receiving a letter in the mail. Account holders can set up text or email alerts when they receive a new message, such as their COLA notice.

To receive a COLA notice online, individuals will need to create or sign in to their personal my Social Security account and opt out of paper notices by November 19, 2025. Go Digital! Create an account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. An online mySocial Security account also gives individuals access to request a replacement Social Security card, view their claim status and benefits, and view their SSA-1099.

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For additional information, visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

Above photo was taken at the TWU Convention on Sept. 18, 2025. From the left, Retirees Executive Board member Dominic Spagnolo, Alternate Board Member Theresa Green, TWU International President John Samuelsen, Retirees Staff Director Shalena Lindsey, and Retirees Association Director and International Vice President James Whalen.

Retirees Association Director James Whalen and other attendees waving hello.

Retirees with their new Association t-shirts enjoying the game.