Maryland and Washington enacted new pension cost-of-living adjustment laws after AFSCME retiree lobbying, giving public retirees inflation relief and marking the group’s latest state-level win.
A one-time 3% COLA passed in Washington, while Maryland clarified how pension COLAs are calculated, as retirees argued rising housing, health care and other costs were eroding fixed incomes.
AFSCME said nearly 40% of Americans doubt their retirement savings will last, 30% think they may never retire, and about half of people at or near retirement age have no savings.
The retiree group is also backing AFSCME’s legal and organizing campaign against Elon Musk’s DOGE over alleged improper access to Social Security data, broadening its fight from pension policy to federal retirement security.