Public Employee Pensions Are Not the Problem
November 20, 2008
This entry by AFSCME President Gerald McEntee was originally posted on The Huffington Post.
Right-wing critics of public employee pensions will use any angle to convince folks that these plans are bankrupting states, cities and towns. In the Wall Street Journal this week, Steve Malanga blames pension plans for today's economic difficulties and in the same piece urges governments to sell off their assets.
Malanga fails to mention that most public pension plans are in good financial condition and does not note that states built up rainy-day funds and cut taxes during this time. It's a fact that most of us are required to contribute to our plans regularly, and our contributions, along with our employer's, are invested to earn additional income. While the economic downturn has caused some dips in funds, estimates of the ratio of pension assets-to-liabilities for state pension plans indicate that they are in good shape. Most plans have diversified their investments so the impact of today's market losses is softened. Over the last twenty years, most pension funds have had a good rate of return, even during downturns, because they keep fees low and use professionals to routinely beat market benchmarks.
Pension funds, with assets from employers and employees, are an essential part of this nation's capital market, particularly at a time of economic crisis such as the one we are currently facing. Public employees have sacrificed pay increases and made contributions in order to ensure that their pension plans are adequately funded. And governments have also been prudent about building up their reserves — as of July 2007, state rainy day funds stood at 10% of total budgets, which would have been sufficient to deal with a moderate cyclical recession. Of course, what we're seeing is far worse.
The truth is that in these times of real budget challenges, pensions make good economic sense. Pensions put money into the economy, offer real retirement security to workers, and allow government employers to recruit and retain a quality workforce to make the vital public services that America relies on happen. The investments made by pension funds have helped make America work and can help turn our economy around in the days and months ahead.
Most Americans recognize that today's government challenges are the result of an economic downturn rivaling that of the Great Depression and a Bush Administration that willfully ignored the economic problems. Malanga himself acknowledges several times in the piece that "rapidly declining tax collections" are the cause of the states' budget problems. Yet this fact is ignored in the diagnosis and prescription of the fiscal crisis we are in.
Malanga also argues for privatization of roads and other public goods. The solution is not privatization, which all too often means that the public pays more and gets lower quality services while public workers are laid off and corruption scandals make the news. Americans need quality public services and efficient governments that help achieve real progress for communities. While some view selling public assets like toll roads to private firms as a panacea for infrastructure investment, the public is fiercely — and rightly — opposed to selling our roads for the pursuit of private profit.
Public pensions are providing benefits for the economy, retirement security and taxpayers. As states find their budgets under pressure, it is important that states put in place procedures and practices that will mitigate against rosy projections regarding investment income and provide a means to pay for the benefits their employees have earned.
While improvements can always be made, pensions are not the problem. The economy is the problem, and the President and Congress need to take real steps to revitalize the economy and help the American people.
