COLA update

[manOman]

In today's consumer price index release, the table used to calculate our COLA showed a figure of 632.025 for October. Changes to our COLA are calculated every 6 months, and won't be calculated again until the release of the Jan 2009 figure.

Here's a list of this year's numbers:

Jan 615.828
Feb 617.345
Mar 622.985
Apr 627.606
May 633.830
Jun 641.082
Jul 644.303
Aug 641.155
Sep 640.226
Oct 632.025

By a happy coincidence, the CPI figure peaked in July, which is when our last COLA adjustment was determined - we got that whopping $1497 increase.

Again, the COLA won't be calculated until the release of the Jan. figure, but IF it were calculated using today's figure, it looks to me as if we'd get zippo - there is wording in the contract which APPEARS to keep us from getting a DECREASE in pay should the index drop (which it has). We won't know until January whether the index will get back above July's 644.303, but at this point it appears unlikely.