Pensions

• California AG Pursues Criminal Review of Parks Dept.
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   February 21, 2013
• According to a report from the attorney general's office, some parks officials had deliberately hidden about $20 million of the $54-million surplus discovered in the department's accounts.

• Monthlong New York City Bus Drivers Strike Ends
• Source: New York Times   |   New York City   |   February 21, 2013
• The drivers decided to halt their strike, with their concerns still on the table, and to try their luck with the person who will replace Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who had refused to accept the union’s demands.

• Foster Parents Allowed to Unionize Under Oregon Bill
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   February 21, 2013
• Foster parents would be considered public employees allowed to form, join and participate in unions.

• Public Debt and the Quest for Efficiency
• BY: Stephen Goldsmith   |   February 20, 2013
• All government debt is not the same. Pension debt starves government of the people and tools it needs, but creative borrowing for infrastructure can save more money than it costs.
• 8 Comments

• Survey Signals Possible Public-Sector Hiring Rebound
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   February 13, 2013
• State and local governments may start to hire, but employment remains below pre-recession levels.

• Gov. Snyder Takes a Hit in the Polls After Right to Work
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Michigan   |   February 13, 2013
• A newly released poll suggests that support for Gov. Rick Snyder dropped sharply after he changed course in December and backed the speedy passage of controversial right-to-work legislation.

• Solving a Piece of the OPEB Puzzle
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   February 13, 2013
• A Massachusetts city's approach to cutting the cost of retiree health care might be a way for other jurisdictions to grapple with the problem.
• 1 Comments

• Early Retirement Incentives Making a Comeback
• BY: Heather Kerrigan   |   February 13, 2013
• Several municipalities offered early retirement incentives to public workers last year. What impact such incentives have on budgets and services, however, is up for debate.
• 6 Comments

• Detroit OKs Furloughs Equal to 10% Wage Cut
• Source: Detroit News   |   Detroit   |   February 13, 2013
• The decision comes one day after the Financial Advisory Board, which oversees portions of Detroit's consent agreement with the state, imposed furlough days on about 600 unionized employees.

• Richmond Police Chief, Involved in Chris Brown Case, Resigns
• Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch   |   Richmond, Va.   |   February 13, 2013
• Officials wouldn’t say whether the allegations about R&B singer Chris Brown’s community service had any bearing on Bryan Norwood’s departure.

• Child Services Deleted Details of Children's Deaths in Tennessee
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   February 12, 2013
• Someone at the Department of Children’s Services who prepared documents for The Tennessean deleted large portions in the media’s copy of state child fatality records — removing information that should have been made public.

• The Politics of Wisconsin's Declining Union Membership
• Source: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   February 12, 2013
• In Wisconsin, membership in public-sector unions plummeted in the aftermath of the hugely controversial Republican measure that wiped out most collective bargaining for public employees and made it far harder for their unions to operate.

• Soaring State Employees' Salaries Rankle Brazil
• Source: New York Times   |   Brazil   |   February 11, 2013
• While civil servants in Europe and the United States have had their pay slashed or jobs eliminated altogether, some public employees in Brazil are pulling down salaries and benefits that put their counterparts in developed countries to shame.

• Newark Offers Weight Watchers to Its Employees
• BY: Caroline Cournoyer   |   Newark, N.J.   |   February 8, 2013
• Newark Mayor Cory Booker has launched his own Let’s Move! campaign for his city, partnering with the diet organization Weight Watchers to offer discounted membership to city employees.

• Bill to Switch Pensions to (401)k Plans Advances in Florida
• Source: Tampa Bay Times   |   Florida   |   February 8, 2013
• A bill placing all new state employees in a 401(k)-style retirement plan passed a House subcommittee on a party-line vote, setting up a major showdown between legislative Republicans and public workers' unions.