Testimony for the Public Service Committee
Hearing: H333 (Higher Education Retirement Improvement)
May 24, 2001

Chairmen Joyce and Dempsey and members of the Committee, my name is Patricia Markunas. I am the President of the Massachusetts State College Association, the union that represents faculty and librarians at the nine state colleges in Massachusetts. I thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony in support of H333, a bill related to the establishment of a retirement improvement program for public higher education employees. This bill has been endorsed by the MSCA, the Higher Education Leadership Council, and the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

I urge your favorable action on these bills for the following reasons:

The most significant justification for adoption of a retirement improvement program for higher education employees is fairness. Several years ago, early retirement incentive programs were established for every group of state employees--except ours. Every group of state employees was permitted to add five years of age or creditable service to enhance their prospects at retirement-- except ours.

We have lobbied for a retirement improvement program for our members nearly every year since then. Our members deserve the benefits that were bestowed on all other state employees in the early part of this decade. You, the members of this Committee, have an opportunity to remedy this long-standing, unequal treatment of a hard-working and dedicated group of state employees. You have an opportunity to right an injustice that has been in effect for over ten years.

A second major reason for adoption of H333 is the positive impact that such a program will have on our public colleges and universities. Significant numbers of faculty, librarians, and administrators were hired in the late 1960s and early 1970s to accommodate the increased college enrollments of the Baby Boom. Providing an improvement program for these individuals to retire would allow colleges and universities flexibility to meet the interests of students coming to college in the new millennium.

Another reason to adopt a retirement incentive for current faculty is that it would open up new positions to hire the next generation of academics, thereby enhancing the diversity of skills and interests among faculty. The ability to recruit and retain faculty recently trained in new disciplines and teaching methods would add immeasurable value to the educational experience of our students.

Time is of the essence for those higher education employees who could benefit from this legislation. On behalf of the MSCA and the MTA, I urge your favorable action on H333 and I thank you once again for your attention.

Patricia V. Markunas
MSCA President
Professor of Psychology
Salem State College