A Teacher’s Letter to the Editor: FEA Lawsuit – Pensions in Florida
My Letter to the Editor – Florida:
There is much talk lately about pensions. Our governor would like us to believe this talk is about fairness. Why should the private sector have to pay into their pensions while the public sector doesn’t? Those were his words, I believe. Well, let us look at this statement? I think when we do, we will realize that it is a lose / lose for both sides, public and private.
First of all, let’s look at the public side. Public employees must be enrolled in the Florida Retirement System (FRS). It is not optional. We have no choice. FRS is our only option. Well, that doesn’t sound fair, you say. Maybe not… maybe 401ks and other retirement options would better suit our needs. Yet, we have a reason for staying where we are with our FRS pensions. We have collective bargaining written into our State Constitution. That gives us the ability to negotiate our own pensions and FRS. And, be not confused, we have negotiated