November 19, 2019
The American Pension Crisis Seminar
In November 2019, the Alliance for Retired Americans hosted more than two dozen speakers from unions and government agencies, as well as bankruptcy attorneys, young workers and others, to address the growing pension crisis and the effects of corporate bankruptcy on millions of Americans.
During the two-day event, attendees also discussed other pillars of retirement security, including Social Security and Medicare.
Highlights included:
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka spoke about the need to protect pension benefits when companies declare bankruptcy, stressing that bankruptcy laws are not designed to protect retirees who worked hard their entire lives – instead, they protect the millionaires and CEOs.
Elizabeth Shuler, Executive Vice President of the Alliance and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, called for passage of two pieces of legislation pending in Congress to provide immediate relief to millions of workers at risk of losing their earned pension and health benefits: the American Miners Act of 2019 and the Butch Lewis Act.
Conference presentations are below.
Neil Gladstein, IAMAW Director of Strategic Resources
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor
Sarah Tammelleo, Assistant to the President Research and Strategic Initiatives Department for AFT
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Sarah Tammelleo
Peter Hardcastle, FSA, EA at Cheiron
Phil Smith, UMWA Director of Communications and Governmental Affairs
Tiffany Ricci, Associate Director of Communications for AFSCME
Brian Klopp, AFSCME Labor Economist
Elizabeth Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President
Panel Moderator Sharon Levine
Cecil Roberts, President of UMWA
Ann Miller, Investment Banker at Cowen
Israel Goldowitz, partner with The Wagner Law Group and former staffer at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Michael Artz, AFSCME Associate General Counsel
David Neigus, Labor Attorney
Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance for Retired Americans
Raymond Peeler, Assistant Legal Counsel for Coordination, Office of Legal Counsel for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Mariah Becker, Director of Research and Education for the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans
Nolan Harrison, Senior Director, Former Players Services for the NFL Players Association
Jacque Simon, Policy Director for the American Federation of Government Employees
Karen Friedman, Executive V.P. and Policy Director for the Pension Rights Center
Emily Spreiser, Legal Program Director for the Pension Rights Center
Dan Doonan, Executive Director for the National Institute of Retirement Security
Christine Kieffer, Senior Director of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation
Brendan Kelly, Panel Moderator and Director of Field Mobilization for the Alliance for Retired Americans
Jennifer Brown, Associate Director of Economic Policy at Unidos US
Tyler Bond, National Institute on Retirement Security Research Manager
Abigail Zapote, Executive Director of Latinos for a Secure Retirement
Presentations
Bankruptcy Panel Presentation
Michael Artz, Associate General Counsel for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Current Legislative Events for Multiemployer Plans
Mariah Becker, Director of Research and Education for the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans
Younger Worker Retirement Panel Presentation
Tyler Bond, Research Manager for the National Institute for Retirement Security
Pensions v. 401(k)s
Dan Doonan, Executive Director of the National Institute for Retirement Security
Social Security
Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans
Pension De-Risking Harms Workers
Neil Gladstein, Director, Strategic Resources International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Bankruptcy Panel Presentation
Israel Goldowitz, The Wagner Law Group, PBGC (retired)
The State of Pensions; Central States
Peter Hardcastle, Cheiron
Investment Scams
Christine Kieffer, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Public Sector Plans
Brian Klopp, Labor Economist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
5500 Forms Early Warnings
Mary Margaret Prange, Partner, Calibre CPA Group
Empowering Pension Managers
Tiffany Ricci, Associate Director of Communications for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Bankruptcy Panel Presentation
Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mineworkers of America
Retirement Security Crisis
Sarah Tammelleo, Assistant to the President Research and Strategic Initiatives Department for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Younger Worker Retirement Panel Presentation, Retirement Solutions and Evolving Policy Options
Abigail Zapote, Executive Director of Latinos for a Secure Retirement
