Congratulations on getting far enough in your career to at least contemplate retirement! You have worked hard for your agency and the City of New York for a bunch of years, and you have similarly been a valued CSBA member for a long time. This section is for you, to assist you in taking necessary steps to consider, and when ready, file for retirement and receive your pension and Local 237 Retiree Welfare Fund benefits with minimal delay and hassle.

Did you know that when you retire from City service, you move from CSBA’s welfare fund to Local 237’s retiree fund? The benefits are somewhat different (and change from time to time), and hence we suggest that you investigate those differences beforehand (and consider utilizing some of our benefits before your last day on payroll)!

There are also several “Time & Leave” provisions within Article V of the Citywide Agreement (negotiated by DC 37 as the largest municipal union) which you should be aware of to not lose multiple days’ worth of compensation. For example, you can only accrue up to two years’ worth of annual leave; amounts exceeding same are normally converted to sick leave if not used pursuant to an agreed-upon plan. Conversion of Annual Leave or Compensatory (“Comp”) Time to Sick Leave is generally not desirable, as per the “Terminal Leave” provision (Section 17), sick leave days are reduced (one for two or one for three, up to a maximum of 120 days of terminal leave) depending on your start date.

Here are links and helpful free services recommended by Local 237’s excellent Retiree Division as you plan for retirement. May you enjoy many years of happy, healthy and fulfilling retirement!

Local 237 Pre-Retirement Planning

NYC Employees’ Retirement System

NYCERS Pension Seminar Schedule

P.S.- Don’t forget to take or roll over your Annuity from Empower!