A cannon aimed at the gravy train

A reformer launches a petition drive to qualify pension reform for the ballot. 

“The constitutional amendment strips public employee unions of their right to negotiate their pensions in collective bargaining, sets the retirement age at 62 and caps benefits at 60 percent of an employee’s highest average base wage over three years. It also requires that workers match the public contribution to their premiums.”

This initiative goes a bridge too far, in my opinion, by busting unions. The right to organize, to bargain collectively and — God forbid — to strike has helped millions Americans enter the middle class. But the provisions capping retirement and compelling public employees to work to 62 like the rest of us is somethign I’d vote for early and often.

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    Michael Fitzgerald

    Mike Fitzgerald is The Record’s award-winning metro columnist. His column runs in the paper three times a week. Born in San Francisco, he was raised in Stockton. His column covers diverse beats including, sometimes, the offbeat. Read Full
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