Issues

Sample Email

Across the country there’s a growing attack on pensions which is taking the security out of retirement for millions of American’s government workers.  The same ideologues set on dismantling Social Security are turning their efforts to doing away with your pension plan.  Their goal: to weaken the public sector and our unions.  Their strategy: to scare and misinform taxpayers and government leaders. 

Join the campaign to fight back!  Send a letter or email to your local elected official. Let them know that we will not stand silent while outside forces try to destroy our defined benefit pensions.  Please take a look at this sample activist statement and take action today.


Activist Message:


Dear _____________(name of your elected official)__________,

I am concerned retirement security both for myself and for new public employees.  We all made a commitment to public service with the understanding that part of our compensation was a secure future - where our pension fund dollars would be invested wisely and we could rely on a check every month when we retire. 

My fear is that the traditional defined benefit pension plan as we know it will be destroyed by ideologues who claim that traditional pensions are too expensive to continue into the future.  They’re wrong. 

Public pension funds earn about 4% more than personal 401(k)-type defined contribution plans.  401(k)s are inefficient and wasteful because banks charge management fees that are five to 10 times higher than for traditional pensions.  Some pensions are not fully funded because they were raided by the government as a credit card to pay for other programs or tax cuts, while others lost money from the corporate scandals like Enron and are just now recovering.  If payments to the pension fund are made on time then pensions will be fully funded far into the future. 

A deal is a deal.  I don’t think that I deserve to retire in poverty after I have worked so hard to serve our community.

Sincerely,

Name

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