Real pension reforms would create savings

Full Op-Ed posted on Telegram & Gazette

By Roberta Schaefer

In the article, “Municipal pensions: employee benefit; taxpayer burden” (Telegram & Gazette, July 7), Joseph Durant, co-chairman of Working Massachusetts, a coalition of public employee unions, expresses relief that there’s “no concerted attack on public employee pensions here as in other states,” remarking, “We’ve taken the high road … through two rounds of pension reform.” Mr. Durant fails to note that the impact of reforms enacted between 2009 and 2011 has been minimal. The latest was projected to save about $5 billion over 30 years, .005 percent of FY13’s $32.5 billion state budget.

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