Sidebar: A look at some of the pension-boosting perks
The board of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System voted to add to a recent pension reform law 99 bonuses that can boost workers’ current paychecks and also their future pensions. Here are some of these retirement-enhancing bonuses:
• School Yard Premium — For part-time school employees who supervise students during recreation.
• Library Reference Desk Premium — For library staff who routinely provide direction to patrons.
• Physical Fitness Pay — For public safety officers and school security personnel who pass certain fitness tests.
• Animal Premium — For peace officers who handle dogs or horses.
• Traffic Detail Premium — For employees assigned to direct traffic.
• Parking Citation Premium — For employees assigned to read parking meters and write tickets.
• Dictation/Shorthand/Typing Premium — For clerical employees skilled at shorthand, dictation or typing at a certain speed.
• Sprinkler and Backflow Premium — For groundskeepers who routinely repair large sprinkler head controllers and valves.
• Front Desk Assignment Premium — For jail workers who routinely respond to questions from the public.
• Height Premium — For employees routinely assigned to work on ladders.
• Audio-Visual Premium — For employees routinely responsible for operating audio-visual equipment.
• Fire Staff Premium — For firefighters assigned to administrative work during normal hours.
• Auditorium Preparation Premium — For school employees who set up lighting and props on stages.
Source: CalPERS
