The Labor Center conducts research on workers’ retirement prospects in the context of threats to Social Security, the decline of secure workplace pensions, and the shift to individual investment accounts like 401(k)s. We also assess state policies and proposals that aim to improve retirement security in California and nationally.
National- and state-level research on the crisis in retirement security.
Issues in public pension systems in California and other states.
There are large structural gaps in the employer-sponsored retirement system. I would like delve a bit into the kinds of workers who are left out, and why.
This brief examines the economic value of DB pensions—which provide secure monthly retirement income based on salary and years of service—for public employees, employers, and residents in Marin County.
A new research brief by the UC Berkeley Labor Center demonstrates how defined benefit (DB) pensions—which provide secure monthly retirement income based on salary and years of service—support a quality public sector workforce in Marin County.
Testimony of Nari Rhee before the U.S. DOL ERISA Advisory Council Hearing. The US private sector employer-sponsored retirement system leaves out many workers, disproportionately impacting Blacks and Latinos. While some states have forged their own path to try to close this coverage gap, these efforts are limited in scope by ERISA preemption. Federal policy action is necessary so that all workers are covered by a plan that effectively prepares them for a financially secure retirement.
Testimony of Nari Rhee before the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor on how the US retirement system can be strengthened and made more inclusive, so that all workers – regardless of race, gender, or class – can have economic security in retirement.
October 7, 2021
How Defined Benefit Pensions Support a Quality Public Sector Workforce in Marin County
June 23, 2021
Testimony: Examining Pathways to Build a Stronger More Inclusive Retirement System
June 7, 2021
Will saving for retirement soon get simpler? Here’s what Congress has planned
December 22, 2020
Older workers are facing fewer job prospects and higher COVID risks
February 9, 2017
California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program (SB 1234): FAQ for Unions and Union Members
In an op-ed for the Marin Independent Journal, Rozoff, a recently retired Marin County teacher, argues for preserving pensions as a valuable tool for recruitment and retention.
A recent report by Nari Rhee provides policymakers and the public with an informed and objective analysis about defined benefit pensions for teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers who provide essential public services to the residents of Marin County.
“I do think that we are starting to see a crisis,” said Nari Rhee, director of the Retirement Security Program at UC Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education, “in terms of seniors not being able to stay in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area.”
Nari Rhee talked about disproportionate disparity in retirement security among home care workers, especially women and people of color. Women often have truncated careers, she said, with interruptions for child-rearing or caring for elderly parents.
Hearing witness Nari Rhee said the current employer-sponsored retirement savings system omits many employees, including direct care workers, who toil in predominantly low-wage jobs. This reality poses special challenges for women, given their disproportionate caregiving responsibilities for children and aging parents, due to foregoing pay, a lasting pay penalty and a significant cumulative reduction in potential lifetime earnings.
Nari Rhee
Director, Retirement Security Program
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