Meet the NYSUT ERS consultants working to ensure SRPs are informed about retirement options

Cheryl Rockhill

or years Cheryl Rockhill was the go-to person when her members from the Brushton-Moira Support Staff Association had retirement questions.

Joseph DiTucci, a retiree and former president of the Spencerport Teachers Association, was a longtime delegate to the state Teachers’ Retirement System.

Joseph DiTucci

Rockhill and DiTucci are two of the five NYSUT ERS consultants available to assist members who belong to the New York State and Local Retirement System’s Employees’ Retirement System. Rockhill serves the North Country and Potsdam region while DiTucci serves the Rochester region.

ERS consultants provide general information about the ERS benefits and plans and serve as a contact between members and the retirement system.

“Our ERS consultants work with so many SRPs on the brink of retirement as well as with those coming into the system,” said NYSUT Second Vice President Ron Gross, whose office coordinates the statewide union’s programs and constituency services, including support for retirees and School-Related Professionals.

Karen McLean

Karen McLean, an ERS consultant serving the Nassau and Suffolk regions, is treasurer of the Herricks TA. A payroll supervisor, McLean is motivated to help members secure their financial future. “As an ERS consultant, I can collaborate with employees one-on-one and in groups to explain their retirement course of action,” McLean said. Part of that is making sure members are aware if they may be leaving money on the table, McLean added.

She has run into too many members who are either unaware of their retirement tier or their ability to actually join the retirement system.

Helping educate SRPs about their benefits is also a key motivator for Robert Welch, an ERS consultant serving the Syracuse/Utica region.

Robert Welch

“One of the most surprising things I have come across in my role is the wide range of awareness members have regarding the details of their current retirement system accounts,” Welch said. “Some members have set up online accounts with the retirement system and have access to all their information. Then there are others at the opposite end of the spectrum who know little, if anything, about their accounts and, for example, are shocked to find out they have 10 years of service credit when they thought they had 20 or more years of service credit.”

Welch is a former president of the Madison-Oneida BOCES TA. He also served 15 years as a NYSUT labor relations specialist before retiring in 2022. “I often ask members if they have an online account set up with the retirement system and if they tell me ‘no,’ I encourage them to do so. It’s quick and easy.”

Stacy Stoliker

Stacy Stoliker, president of the Rhinebeck Association of Non-Instructional Employees, stresses the importance of the online account and keeping beneficiaries up to date. She also shares information on little-known benefits.

“I make sure SRPs get the most of their retirement. I like to review information regarding the 41(J), for example,” Stoliker said, explaining that if a unit has negotiated this benefit, members’ time served can be increased by certain amounts of sick time in their accounts at retirement. ERS members interested in this benefit should contact their employer to see if they participate.

“The work our consultants do is another excellent free benefit NYSUT provides to members,” said Gross. Individual members may contact ERS consultants with questions. Local presidents can also request a workshop by Zoom or in person. Visit nysut.org/ers for more info.