Bob Buerkle responds to Becky Higgins' denial that we were promised a COLA

From Bob Buerkle

A rebuttal to Becky Higgins' comment

March 31, 2021

Becky Higgins: "You were not promised a cola." (03/19/2021 on OEA's Facebook page, in response to a comment by Kathy Bonham.) 

Bob Buerkle's response:  Let's see Becky - I have multiple STRS publications that state that "a 3% COLA will be provided annually on your retirement anniversary month." This was stated continuously in the Ohio Revised Code, Section 3307.67 from 2002 through July 2013, at which time the ORC 3307.67 annual COLA was changed to 2%, after the zero year for 2013. 

I have my personal STRS Statements from the 1990's that say retirees will receive a 3% annual COLA in all years that inflation is 3% or greater, or they have "banked reserves" that carried over from years of higher than 3% inflation, which basically applied to nearly every retiree since it was established in 1979 and until it became an automatic annual 3% after 2002.

STRS Counselors who met with retiring teachers told us we would receive a 3% COLA annually. 

When the OFT Retirement Committee would meet for their annual conventions, STRS Deputy Executive Director of Member Benefits, Richard Zimmerman, told us that we would receive a 3% COLA annually, as did his replacement, Sandra Knoesel, until she retired. 

Was I to assume that these were not promises? No such statement was ever delivered in print or elocution.

Only Health Care was not guaranteed, as we were told verbally and in printed documents.

Becky Higgins is past president of the Ohio Education Association.