Flashback to July 12, 2025: Bob Buerkle speaks out on the draconian benefit cuts made by STRS: "To me, it feels like we have been hog-tied, skewered, rotisserized and served up on a legislative all-you-can-eat luncheon platter."

From Bob Buerkle, STRS Retiree

July 12, 2025

After what has been happening to us lately I decided to speak up about how I feel. 

In many states there is only one pension system that covers every state worker; the police, the judges, the politicians, the teachers, the other school workers, the librarians in public libraries and all other government workers. 

My point is this, when everybody is in the same boat they all have skin in the same game and all members will work together to find solutions.  Do you think the legislators and other OPERS Members are willing to fight for our STRS rights? Hell no! 

When pension reform hit after the "Great Financial Crisis" STRS passed out information at each Board meeting for over a year which showed what other states were doing.  NO OTHER STATE PUNISHED THEIR RETIREES OR ACTIVE TEACHERS IN THE WAY THAT OHIO DID. They all grandfathered their retirees' benefits, including COLAs, and tweaked or phased in new retirement requirements. 

Even the former in-house STRS actuary, Brian Grinnell, stated in a Board meeting that "STRS chose a different path." 

There has not been a single state pension failure since the "Great Financial Crisis" even though every other state avoided the draconian path of cuts taken by STRS Ohio. 

To me, it feels like we have been hog-tied, skewered, rotisserized and served up on a legislative all-you-can-eat luncheon platter.