Pensions
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The Widening Gap Update
The gap between the promises states have made for public employees’ retirement benefits and the money they have set aside to pay these bills was at least $1.38 trillion in fiscal year 2010. more
The LATEST
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- Stateline Story
When a Pension Overhaul Comes Without Social Security
Every state has at least some public employees who are not allowed to receive Social Security benefits. As states ask workers to contribute more toward their pensions, making workers eligible for Social Security would come with pros and cons. more
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- Stateline Story
DROP Pensions: A Sound Investment or a Waste of Taxpayer Money?
In the 1990s, some states began promising lump sum retirement checks to employees they wanted to keep. Some have decided it's a practice they can no longer afford. more
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- Stateline Story
Labor Union Discord Reaches New England
TODAY'S TAKE: Maine's Republican Governor Paul LePage wants public employees to work longer and pay more for their retirement benefits, igniting protests in Augusta resembling those recently seen in the Midwest. more
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- Stateline Story
California Looks to Current Workers' Pensions for Savings
MANAGEMENT BEAT: Pension commission argues for tough choices in California … Republican governors back off opposition to collective bargaining … No more "SWAG" in California, and other government management news. more
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- Stateline Story
California Workers Choose Pensions Over Furloughs
MANAGEMENT BEAT: California workers retire in droves … Senate Republicans in Ohio tackle labor unions … New Jersey cracks down on lame-duck promotions, and other government management news. more
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- Stateline Story
California Pension Funds Mostly Erase 2008 Losses
TODAY'S TAKE: California's two huge pension funds report that they each earned returns of more than 12 percent last year, mostly erasing heavy losses suffered during the 2008 stock market decline. Other states are reporting sharp gains, too. more
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- Stateline Story
Activists Seek New Tactics to Break Old Pension Deals
Conventional wisdom has long held that pension contracts negotiated with existing and retired public employees are sacrosanct. That principle is about to be tested in legislatures and in courts. more
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- Stateline Story
Maine Republican Legislators Contemplate End to Labor Committee
TRANSITION WATCH: Maine Republicans seek to fold historic panel, Connecticut's pension gap gets bigger, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states. more
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- Stateline Story
Election Adds Pressure to Change Public Pensions
Pension funds became a hot political subject in many campaigns this year. The issue is only going to get hotter.more -
- Stateline Story
Pensions Become a Heated Issue in 2010 Politics
State candidates across the country are proposing to slash the rising cost of public employee retirement benefits. Republicans generally back 401 (k)- style self-invested retirement plans, putting pressure on Democrats whose labor supporters want to keep traditional pensions.more