ALBANY- Members of the PBA of New York State are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that would enact a 20-year retirement for members of the state University Police, Environmental Conservation Police, Park Police, and Forrest Rangers similar to that already in place for other law enforcement unions across the state. Presently, PBA members have a 25-year retirement requirement.
According to the union, parity in retirement benefits must be enacted to stem a mass exodus of highly specialized officers and meet the state’s goal of achieving 30 percent female representation by 2030. Without changes to their retirement structure, they believe the safety of the state’s natural resources, public university campuses, and historic sites could be at risk.
“The Governor has an historic opportunity to help us recruit and retain more women within our ranks, said Nancy Ganswindt, PBA of New York State Vice President. “For too long our agencies have lost diverse officers, including highly qualified women, to departments offering better compensation and benefits.”
James McCartney, President of the PBA of New York State, said, “For the fourth year in a row the state legislature has passed our 20-year retirement parity legislation with near unanimous bi-partisan support. Environmental groups across the state support this critical legislation, as do state agency commissioners and fellow law enforcement agencies. In fact, the groups which normally oppose bills with budgetary impact have not raised concerns because they recognize the savings to the state by stemming the mass exodus of officers. Rarely do so many diverging interests come together to support an issue.”
Hochul, and her predecessor, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, have both previously vetoed this legislation.
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