Lloyd Knudsen: Pension anger

Lloyd Knudsen to John Curry, January 10, 2010
Subject: Pension anger

John,

Isn't it interesting that most of the discussion in all the newspapers about pending legislative reform of our STRS pension program revolves around the asked-for increase in the employer's 14% contribution rate. There is little mention of the proposed COLA decrease for retirees or all the proposed cuts for active teachers.

We retirees who have closely followed STRS's "head-in-the-sand" management style over the years have continually said school employers will NOT agree to up their contribution rate. Taxpayers will NOT stand for sending more of their tax dollars to pay for teacher pensions or healthcare. And, politicians certainly will NOT put their jobs on the line to ask for more money for teachers. So when you read the commentary in the newspapers, teachers are made to look very greedy and self-serving.

So thank you STRS management, staff and STRS Board for proposing and unanimously approving an ORSC plan that had no chance in hell of passing. All it accomplished was to make teachers look like all they care about are themselves. No amount of STRS schmoozing will change that!

Just one retiree's opinion.
Lloyd Knudsen