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The purpose of the May 8 forum, hosted by the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, was to educate local elected leaders, many of whom are being told by their city managers that budget deficits can be fixed by implementing a lesser retirement tier for new hires.



The broader aim was also to correct a growing misconception – fed by sensational anecdotes -- of top managers retiring with luxurious pensions. The abuses are cited as contributing to the "unsustainable" pension system. The facts, as participants learned, are: 

- 7 in 10 public employees get less than $30,000 a year in retirement, with most not receiving Social Security.
- .75 cents of every $1 paid out to retirees is made from investments – not taxpayer money 
- Public pension plans have been viable for 70 years; recent losses will be recovered as the economy improves

What did the elected leaders have to say afterwards?

Mark Addiego, Mayor, City of South San Francisco:
"I wish I had had the opportunity to experience this many months ago. We've completed negotiations with our employees and we have a two-tier system. I felt like I was selling out that generation of employees and creating a bad situation for new hires."

Gina Papan, Councilmember, City of Milbrae:
"I look forward to future discussions. I thought it was very interesting as to the two-tier and their negative benefits for new employees. It's worth a lot more discussion... two-tier would not be beneficial in the long term and we need to find better solutions."


Video highlights from the forum can be viewed here:
- "Public Pension: Get the facts"



"Pension Forum: Two-Tier Debunked"



"Elected Officials: Two-tier is not the answer"



 Click here to play all three video clips.