Important News
Date: March 16, 2026
NEXT MEETING DATE - JULY 15, 2026 12:00 Noon
To be held on the USS New Jersey Battleship in Camden
April 13, 2026
Speaker Coughlin,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment regarding your recent comments concerning the restoration of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). I found your remarks insulting to the men and women whose entire careers were dedicated to serving the people of New Jersey.
While we recognize that the state has made full contributions to the pension system for six consecutive years, we must not frame this as
"heroic". Funding for pension system is a statutory obligation the state must fulfill.
Furthermore, the premise that COLA must be restored for all systems simultaneously to be restored for one is a misconception. All unions are not equal. As you have noted, PFRS active members pay 10% of their salaries-up from 8.5%- while PERS and TPAF members pay 7.5%. There has always been a discrepancy in contribution rates, yet we are told we must be treated the same regarding the restoration of benefits. We have consistently contributed more; it is only fair to ask why our benefits remain frozen.
You also stated that the system remains short of the 80% threshold which was removed when Chapter 55 was enacted.
The COLA was suspended "temporarily" in 2011; it has now been 15 years. In that time, our members have lost approximately 40% of their purchasing power. It is ironic that you remain emphatic that a COLA is
"many years away" for retirees, yet in January of this year, the legislature received a 67% increase in salary. Legislators cited the need to adjust for inflation as a primary reason for the raise, yet inflation affects retirees just as severely. We have asked for an increase of less than 3%, while the legislature saw fit to vote themselves a massive hike.
Finally, while you list various tax adjustments for seniors, they do little to mask the reality that New Jersey maintains the highest property taxes in the nation. Providing small rebates does not conceal the high tax environment. Why not just lower the taxes for true relief.
The current lack of urgency regarding COLA suggests the legislature holds state employees to low esteem. Many of our retirees are in desperate need of help today, not
"years away"
Ronald Di Giovanni
President
New Jersey State Retired Police and Firemen's Association
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