Twenty-two years is 22 years too long. That’s what PSEA has been telling lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro about how important it is to enact a cost-of-living adjustment for more than 40,000 educators and support professionals who haven’t had a pension COLA since 2002. 

While a COLA bill didn’t become law prior to the General Assembly’s summer recess, legislation to enact a COLA made it further than it has in years, setting up a debate that could end up making a COLA a reality in the coming months. 

PSEA made a full court press this year to finally get this issue over the finish line, with PSEA-Retired members leading the charge. Members sent thousands of postcards and emails to lawmakers, appeared on news programs, attended rallies, and supported our Government Relations team in their direct work with lawmakers.  

Thanks to that advocacy, lawmakers listened, and in November 2023, the state House passed a bipartisan COLA bill for state and school employees who retired before 2001. 

Are you a retiree? Did you retire before 2001? If you’re a retired educator or support professional, YOUR VOICE is the most powerful and most persuasive tool we have to convince lawmakers to pass a pre-Act 9 COLA. Volunteer to join the movement.

“So many of our retired teachers retired 20, 30 years ago and have not had a cost-of-living increase in their pension. Some of them are living on $9,000 a year. When I started in '78, my salary was $9,000, which means that theirs was probably $15,000. So they're getting a pension based on $15,000, and Social Security based on $15,000. So they are living on very, very little, and they really need help in the situation with the cost-of-living. It's crucial that our legislators give our pre-Act 9 retired educators a cost of living increase.”