Preparing for Retirement Symposium
On October 17, 2023, the Alliance held its annual Preparing for Retirement Symposium: Individual and Collective Efforts. The event brought government officials, labor movement leaders, policy experts, Social Security and pension advocates, academics, attorneys, and economists together to discuss retirement security and social insurance issues. Attendees learned about ways for individuals and the government to take action that ensures retirement security for all.
Speakers included Rep. John Larson (CT), AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, and AFT President Randi Weingarten as well as officials from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Video of the event is available here and copies of the speakers’ presentations are below.
Videos and Presentations
Introductory Remarks, Alliance President Robert Roach, Jr.
Butch Lewis Act Legislation
Kenneth Stribling, President of the National United Committee to Protect Pensions (NUCPP)
Fred Redmond, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President
Pre-Retirement Workshops Recruiting the Next Wave of Retiree Activists
Calvin MacDowell, Senior Associate, Retirees AFT | Organization and Field Services
Rep. John Larson
Closing the Gap: The Role of Public Pensions in Reducing Retirement Inequality
Tyler Bond, Research Director, NIRS
Federal Employee Report
Jeff Cruz, AFGE Legislative Representative
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Anne Henderson, PBGC Senior Advisor and Kevin Muse, PBGC Supervisory Actuary
Public Pensions Update
Shaun O’Brien, Policy Director, AFSCME
Karen Friedman, Executive Director of the Pension Rights Center
Social Security – Our Earned Benefits
Richard Fiesta, Alliance for Retired Americans, Executive Director
Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President
PBGC’s Missing Participants Program
Anne Henderson, PBGC Senior Advisor; Norman Jackson, Deputy Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Philadelphia Regional Office; Timothy Rowe, Senior Investigator, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington District Office
Defined Contribution Plans: Pitfalls and Potential
Ilana Boivie, Senior Economist, IAMAW
