Late pay raises are one way to fatten workers’ state pensions
By encouraging high-paid workers to retire, maneuver helps local agencies' budgets
The Columbian
Published: April 6, 2013, 5:00pm
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Bremerton Fire Marshal Scott Rappleye, left, and Fire Chief Al Duke sift through the charred remains of a March 2004 house fire in Bremerton. In 2009, a one-month contract clause provided a temporary pay increase of 12 percent specifically to a few long-serving lieutenants and captains. During that month, three of those workers, including Rappleye, retired. Rappleye saw his annual pension benefits, based largely on his final paycheck, jump by more than $9,000 per year, courtesy of the brief pay raise.
A three-part series by The Associated Press
o Today: Late pay raises mean jumps in pension benefits under some state-funded plans.
o Monday: Medical benefits tied to retirement system threaten local government finances.
o Tuesday: A look at government workers who retire on disability and then return to physically-demanding activities.
