Unions Blast Gov. Jerry Brown's Pension Plan
SACRAMENTO (CBSLA.com) — Gov. Jerry Brown announced a "historic pension reform agreement" Tuesday that will cap pensions and raise employee contributions and the retirement age.
The deal made with Democratic legislative leaders promised to radically change the way public employee pensions are collected and paid in California.
"We've got the agreement. And hopefully the legislature will ratify it with a vote in the Senate and the Assembly," Brown said.
Key provisions in the reform package included capping salaries on which to base pensions at $110,000 and raising the full retirement age to 67 for most state employees .
The retirement age for public safety workers would be 57.
Members of various employee unions were livid about the "politically-motivated deal."
"We are just outraged that the governor, who ushered in collective bargaining in this state, has now taken unilateral action to bypass collective bargaining rights and to impose this one-size standard on the entire state of California's public workers," said Steve Koffroth.
Koffroth, who is with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said it's unfair to expect state workers who pave roads to have to lay asphalt until they are 67 years old.
The governor responded, "Well, I would say as a 74-year-old worker, I'm applying a lot of stuff in Sacramento, may not be asphalt, but it's just as heavy."
Democratic leaders have until Friday to get the pension reforms to the Assembly and Senate floor.
