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