by Ron DeLord | Dec 5, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
LANSING — Republican lawmakers are colliding head-on with Michigan’s most powerful public-sector unions after abruptly introducing bills during the lame-duck Michigan Legislature session aimed at curbing billions of dollars in unfunded post-retirement health...
by Ron DeLord | Dec 5, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
The state’s largest cities face tens of billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities to employee pension funds, a series of separate financial situations that is spurring massive account withdrawals, ongoing lawsuits, mounting political friction and national media...
by Ron DeLord | Dec 5, 2016 | Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Years of ill-timed investments and a refusal to abandon questionable strategies have left South Carolina’s government pension plans on the ropes, with a massive funding gap that threatens promised benefits to future retirees. The plans serve roughly one out of...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
He may be right. A half-century ago, more than a third of those Rust Belt workers were unionized, and their unions had the clout to win them a decent wage, benefits and pensions. Their unions also had the power to turn out the vote. They did — for Democrats. White...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Unions
DALLAS — Picture the next major American city to go bankrupt. What springs to mind? Probably not the swagger and sprawl of Dallas. But there was Dallas’s mayor, Michael S. Rawlings, testifying this month to a state oversight board that his city appeared to be “walking...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Unions
Scranton’s police and fire pension boards again voted to approve raises for retirees in 2017, despite an ongoing court battle that challenges whether the money must be paid. The recent action came as a judge prepares to hear arguments relating to a 2015 lawsuit the...
