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The passage of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) in 2013 <br /> resulted in significant changes to requirements associated with member <br /> contributions. Members new to the program are required by the law to pay <br /> 10.5%, which is equivalent to 50% of the normal cost (the cost associated with <br /> the current year's earned benefits). "Classic Members", those already in the <br /> CaIPERS system, do not have this requirement. Instead, their contribution is <br /> fixed at 9%, which IAFF has been paying since 2013. PEPRA's stated goal is for <br /> the "Classic Members" to also pay 50% of the normal cost, and allows agencies, <br /> after good faith bargaining and completing the impasse procedures, to impose <br /> this provision up to a maximum of 12% in 2018. <br /> The tentative agreement reached with IAFF meets PEPRA's goal. "Classic <br /> Members" will increase payment of their member contribution by an additional <br /> 3% during the temi of the contract, for a total of 12% according to the following <br /> schedule: 0.5% as soon as the contract with CALPERS is amended to allow this <br /> contribution; 0.5% in July 2015, 0.5% in July 2016, and the remaining 1.5% in <br /> July 2017. <br /> Deferred compensation: Even prior to the enactment of PEPRA, retirement <br /> specialists have advocated for a number of modifications to the current pension <br /> system. Among those changes were less costly pension formulas for the <br /> employer, and for employees to assume a greater role in saving for their <br /> retirement. At the conclusion of the last round of negotiations with IAFF in 2012, <br /> agreement was reached to implement a lower cost pension formula for newly <br /> hired "Classic Members". These employees have the 3% @ 55 formula, based <br /> on the average of the highest three years' earning, as compared to the higher <br /> cost 3%@ 50 formula, based on the single highest year's earnings, for current <br /> employees. With the passage of PEPRA effective January 2013, employees <br /> new to the CaIPERS system receive the reduced benefit of 2.7% at the <br /> retirement age of 57, based on the average of the highest three years' earnings. <br /> Given the reduced retirement benefits under PEPRA, having a mechanism to set <br /> aside additional funds for retirement provides the employees with more options <br /> to save for when they are no longer working. Municipalities have commonly <br /> offered the deferred compensation program for this purpose. The program <br /> allows employees to voluntarily contribute up to $18,000 each calendar year on <br /> a tax-deferred basis. Upon retirement, employees may draw upon these funds <br /> and are then responsible for paying the taxes owed at the time. Currently, <br /> approximately 60% of IAFF members contribute to the deferred compensation <br /> program. In addition, employers may make contributions to the deferred <br /> compensation program on behalf of the employees. These contributions serve <br /> as a lower payroll cost alternative to traditional wage adjustment as they are not <br /> subject to CaIPERS contributions, and do not impact other personnel expenses <br /> that are calculated based on salary. In July 2016, IAFF employees will receive a <br /> contribution of 0.5% towards deferred compensation. <br /> Page 3 of 5 <br />