Breaking the Two-Tier System: Local 685 Wins Access to the 401(k) Plan

From Jonathan Byrd

Second Vice President & Chief Steward

AFSCME Local 685 Representative to the Coalition of County Unions (CCU)

You may have received a County email announcing that, beginning January 2, all employees will be eligible to enroll in the 401(k) Savings Plan. What the County did not say is why this is happening and who made it possible.

Local 685 is a central part of the Coalition of County Unions. For decades, the CCU has challenged the County’s two-tier system that granted non-represented employees access to both the 457(b) Horizons Plan and the 401(k) Savings Plan, and a dollar-for-dollar match for both the 457 and 401(k) plans. Represented employees were shut out of the 401(k). The CCU has long argued that parity is a matter of basic fairness, and we have pressed that case in every round of Fringe Benefits bargaining.

The County resisted these demands for years. We stayed united, organized, and relentless.

During the most recent CCU Fringe Benefits negotiations, we again made retirement equity a top priority. This time, we won a major step forward. Beginning January 2, represented employees will have access to the 401(k) Savings Plan. This allows members to defer additional compensation beyond the 457(b) annual limits. The IRS sets new contribution limits each year, and the two plans have separate caps. For 2026, the limits are:

• 457(b) employee contribution limit: $24,500 dollars

• 401(k) employee contribution limit: $24,500 dollars

• Catch-up contribution for members age 50 or older: $8,00 dollars for each plan

(Source: irs.gov)

While this victory does not yet include the County match for the 401(k), it is a decisive step toward full parity. Those who were here when we built the dollar-for-dollar match up to 4% of salary for Horizons know that it took sustained pressure over multiple bargaining cycles to get to that level. We are prepared to continue that fight.

This progress was not handed to us. It was earned through collective strength. Fifteen unions in the CCU stood together to demand fairness and protect the retirement security of every represented worker.

Local 685 will remain at the forefront of this effort. We will not stop until our members receive full equity in every retirement program the County offers.

Stay strong, stay united, and stay in the fight.

In solidarity,

Jonathan Byrd

Second VP/Chief Steward