NCPERS News Clips

August 23, 2011

News Clips for August 23, 2011

• When Will You Retire?
  Is this any way to plan for retirement? After a week of huge swings, the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, a broad gauge of the market, was modestly higher on Friday but still down for the week.
• Illinois likely site of next fight over public employee benefits
  Unionized public employees are once again clashing with state leaders who want to roll back benefits and weaken collective bargaining to shore up a government budget.
• View: States Can Save Money Without Attacking Unions
  But recent weeks have offered solid proof that limiting collective-bargaining rights for those workers' unions is not the right approach to bringing the situation under control.
• KPERS is best plan for taxpayers, employees
  For 50 years, Kansas public employees have contributed to the KPERS fund, never missing or shortchanging a payment. But since 1993, it has been Kansas law for the Legislature to underfund the retirements of Kansas' public employees.
• SD Retirement System recovers investment losses
  The South Dakota Retirement System ended its latest financial year with $1.6 billion more than it had a year ago thanks to robust investment earnings that will allow a larger increase in pension payments next summer, officials said Monday.
• Massachusetts unions ramping up lobbying spending in 2011
  Massachusetts unions are on pace to break state records for spending on lobbying, as they try to protect their jobs and flex their collective bargaining muscles in a political environment that's grown increasingly skeptical about organized labor.
•  N.J. hit with third credit rating downgrade under Christie
  New Jersey's struggling economy took another bite out of the state's credit rating, as Fitch Ratings downgraded both the state's debt and economic outlook.