Pension Loss Victims to Appear at Pepper Foundation 'Disintegrating Pensions National Crisis: Call to Action' News Forum at NPC

News Advisory:

-- Enron, IBM, ATT, Verizon Pension Loss Victims at 'Disintegrating Pensions National Crisis: Call To Action' Pepper Foundation News Forum at National Press Club

-- Also to Feature Policy Experts Seeking Changes as Company Plans Reduced, Seniors Threatened: Monday, Feb. 27, 1 p.m., National Press Club, First Amendment Room, 14th and F Streets, NW

A news forum at the National Press Club Monday, Feb. 27 on "Disintegrating Pensions National Crisis: Call to Action," sponsored by the Claude Pepper Foundation and Center, will include a panel of pension loss victims currently or recently employed by Enron, IBM, ATT, and Verizon, and a panel of policy experts from the AFL-CIO, the Pension Rights Center, Ernst and Young, Ameriprise, and the Claude Pepper Center at Florida State University.

In addition to the pension loss victims (who are from around the country and will be identified at their panel presentation) from Enron, IBM, ATT, and Verizon, presenters will include William Arnone, Human Capital Practice Partner for financial services giant Ernst and Young, New York City, and co-author of Ernst and Young's Retirement Planning Guide; Shaun O'Brien, Assistant Director, AFL-CIO Public Policy Department and pension policy expert, Washington, DC; Karen Friedman, Policy Director of the Pension Rights Center, Washington, DC; Awad Morgan, Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services, Vienna, VA; and David Macpherson, Director, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, Claude Pepper Center, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.

The victims will describe heart-wrenching personal experiences of the impact of losses in their expected and promised pensions on their lives and their families. Some of the victims lead pension loss groups. They and the policy experts will propose changes in company processes, judicial rulings, and federal legislation to guarantee that workers are protected from losing earned benefits. Both the House and Senate are working on pension reform bills.

Thomas Spulak, Chair of the Pepper Foundation and former Staff Director of the House Rules Committee under Chairman Pepper, will open the event. Bob Weiner, former Chief of Staff of the House Aging Committee under Chairman Pepper, now president of Robert Weiner Associates Public Affairs, and author with Cael Pulitzer of a December 29 piece in the Miami Herald, "Pension Reform: Protect workers from losing earned benefits," is convener and moderator.

The pension crisis is numbing. Out of 142.6 million active American workers, 101 million have a private pension plan. It is the lifeblood for most Americans supplementing the near poverty of pure Social Security. However, hundreds of major companies, including United Airlines, GM, IBM, Verizon, Sears, Hewlett Packard, Polaroid, AT&T, and of course Enron have now reduced their guaranteed retirement plans or judges have authorized dissolution of pension funds. The trend threatens the lifeblood of nearly all American seniors and their families, as well as younger workers.

MEDIA NOTE:

Start Time: 1 p.m., Forum Opening context statements

Panel of Experts 1:10 p.m.

Panel of Pension Loss Victims: 1:30 p.m.

Audience Comments: 1:50 p.m.

Concluding comments: 2 p.m.

Media Questions: 2:05 p.m.

Room available until 3 p.m.

All speakers will be available to media first for overall questions and then one-on-ones beginning shortly after 2 p.m. Forum beginning at 1 p.m. is open to all print, radio, and television media.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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