CA: State Employees Take a Stand for Secure Retirements

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of members of SEIU Local 1000 wrote to Gov. Schwarzenegger today to tell him what they plan to do with their modest retirements, which could be in jeopardy if his proposals to move new workers to risky 401(k)-style retirement plans succeed.
State employees joined public employees in other SEIU locals for the statewide "Hands Off Our Nest Egg" event. The event featured workers writing personal notes about their retirement "nest eggs," which will be stuffed inside colorful Easter eggs and delivered to the governor as well as legislators voting next month on ACA 5, a Schwarzenegger-backed bill by Sen. Keith Richman (R-Granada Hills) to dismantle public employees' current secure retirement system.
"I wrote that I hope to retire somewhere affordable in California, but with these attacks there may not be any benefits left by the time I retire,"
said Donna Debaecke, an Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board management services technician participating at a San Francisco worksite event, who noted that the average state pension is only about $1,600 according to CalPERS.
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