UFT demands teachers' pension fund reverse retiree benefit reduction

Argues TRS is not legally required to fix its mistake

The United Federation of Teachers demanded that the Teachers’ Retirement System retract its reduction of accident disability pension allowances for 183 retired paraprofessionals and forgo its demands that the retirees pay back tens of thousands of dollars to the fund. In a letter sent to the TRS board Aug. 13, lawyers representing the UFT called TRS’ June move “misguided” and wrote that the fund “need not – and should not – take the onerous, punishing, and publicly embarrassing step of recouping the overpayments and reducing future disability pension benefits.” 

TRS informed 183 retired paraprofessionals in early June that in order to correct a mistake the fund first made over a decade ago their benefits would be cut in half – from two-thirds of their final average salary to just one-third – and the fund would need retirees to pay back the three prior years of overpayment.