The Erie County Departments of Personnel and Labor Relations, in close conjunction with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office (“ECSO”), have announced an agreement between Erie County (“the County”), Teamsters Local Union No. 264 Captain and Lieutenants Unit, Teamsters Local Union No. 264 Sworn Unit, and CSEA Local 1000 Correctional Unit. The agreement will allow eligible members of the units to enroll in an 89-p/603(l) retirement plan under the Retirement and Social Security Law of New York State, moving them to a 25-year retirement rather than the current 30-year plan.  

“This agreement was negotiated in good faith by all parties and is not only a strong agreement for the affected employees that realizes a long-sought goal of a 25-year retirement plan but is also a prudently budgeted move that is cognizant of the fiscal realities faced by Erie County,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz.  “I thank our Commissioner of Labor Relations, Josh Pennel, Sheriff Garcia and his team along with the representatives of the various bargaining units for coming to the table and working out an agreement that is beneficial to all.”

There have been several unsuccessful attempts prior to this agreement to make eligible the 89p/603(l) plan to the units’ membership. Under the new agreement, savings to Erie County include concessions by the units in the form of a decrease in the number of sick days allocated annually, the elimination of an agreement that currently pays “double-time” for all overtime worked by unit members, and other amendments to the working conditions of unit members that will curtail the use of sick time. This agreement also implements a swipe system within the Sheriff’s Office to better account for the time worked by employees.

“I commend the work of the CSEA and Teamsters Union members in conjunction with county government in bringing this revision of the retirement system to fruition. Presently, sworn members of the jail management division are required to complete 30 years of service and be at least 63 years old prior to being granted a service pension” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia. “The implementation of the 25-year system will drastically improve employee recruitment and retention and it will bring Erie County in line with NYS DOCCS and nearly every other county in New York State.”

The New York State Comptroller’s Office has estimated the retroactive cost of joining the 25-year retirement system to the County at $12.7 million with an additional $1.9 million cost annually in years to follow. The final retroactive and reoccurring costs will be determined once a final roster of eligible members is provided by the County to NYSLRS. Erie County will allocate Fund Balance funding in an amount not to exceed $12.8 million to cover this one-time retroactive cost. Future years will be accounted for within the annual budget adoption process.  

For more information:

On the Erie County Department of Personnel, visit   https://www3.erie.gov/employment/   

On the Erie County Department of Labor Relations, visit  https://www3.erie.gov/laborrelations/   

On the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, visit  https://www4.erie.gov/sheriff/ 

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