Workers, NAACP rally against standing pension reform proposal
Atlanta’s pension battle is getting hotter.
Wednesday afternoon, around 30 people, mostly city workers gathered by representatives of the Atlanta NAACP, rallied on the steps of City Hall in favor of a pension proposal that would require them to pay more into their retirements while retaining most of their benefits.
The rally, the latest salvo in the ongoing struggle for pension reform, also served as a platform to blast Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who is pushing a more conservative plan that combines a traditional pension plan with a 401(k)-style retirement plan that shifts more risk to workers. It is estimated to save the city about $20 million a year.
“What is happening to municipal workers is a travesty,” said Jim Daws, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. “To have this mayor trying to grab our pensions and destroy our benefits is shameful and ought not be happening in Atlanta, Georgia.”
The protesters, who rallied before a 1 p.m. finance committee meeting, are backing a plan authored by council member Felicia Moore, which would allow employees to contribute 5 percent extra to their retirement plans.
Sonji Jacobs Dade, a spokeswoman for Reed, said the mayor would not support Moore’s plan, which is being introduced Wednesday and vetted Thursday during a special session.
Dade said Moore’s plan doesn’t work because it would expand defined benefits contributions, increase worker contributions and assumes the stock market will perform.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
