The Labor secretary says Gov. Jerry Brown's reform plan diminishes both the substantive rights of transit employees under current collective bargaining agreements and narrows the future scope of collective bargaining over pensions.
More than half (59 percent) of respondents to a Mercer survey said their company has not attempted to quantify the effectiveness of the retirement program in terms of attracting and retaining staff.
Pension experts say that whatever decisions Detroit makes could set a precedent for retiree benefits in other cash-strapped cities and counties nationwide. To a degree, some precedent has exists, in Central Falls, R.I.