There's not a school business official in the country who isn't dealing with budget cuts and trying to do more with less. This article shares some proven strategies to help school districts reduce spending and address personnel issues associated with retirement plans. Because public education employers are exempt from the Employee Retirement…

On August 17, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act (PL 109-280). The 907-page federal law has been referred to as the most comprehensive reform of the nation's pension law since the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 (Lucas, 2008). This paper will examine the major…

Following the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the increased regulatory burden placed on defined benefit pension plans, the less complex fully funded defined contribution plan emerged as a more attractive and increasingly popular alternative. Traditionally the standard approach to pensions in the educational…

Reviews the historical development of the federal regulation of retirement plans (including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), analyzes and evaluates the current regulatory scheme (justifiable and unjustifiable distinctions including those among types of plans), and suggests appropriate changes in the continuing quest for…

Older women, who comprise two-thirds of the retired U.S. population, share substantially less of the $1.3 trillion worth of over 800,000 private and public pension plans by every way of measurement. Of the one-in-five women receiving pension income, some obtain it from their own paid work history, while others are widows and divorced women who…

Congress enacted the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to help assure economic security in retirement. This analysis includes description of the growth, operation, and inequities within the private pension system and analysis of ERISA: (1) participation, vesting and joint and survivor annuities; (2) funding and plan…

The benefits of and restrictions imposed on qualified pension and profit-sharing plans are discussed in terms of Excess Benefit Plans (EPB), a type of deferred compensation plan. EPBs and unfunded deferred compensation plans offer flexible methods of providing additional benefits for executives and key employees. (LBH)

The legislative history of the fiduciary provisions are reviewed along with types of plans within the scope of ERISA. Basic fiduciary responsibilities are outlined, as are prohibited transactions, civil and co-fiduciary liability, and delegation of investment responsibility. For journal availability see HE 508 741. (LBH)

This article serves as an introduction to a symposium on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and its labor law considerations. Commentary is offered on reporting and disclosure, fiduciary responsibilities, vesting, funding, and miscellaneous provisions. (LBH)

Consideration of errors and omissions insurance under ERISA demands a brief review of pre-ERISA trustee liability insurance law in this symposium report for historical and practical perspective. Specific problems are discussed, and it is concluded that the purchase of insurance should not lull a fiduciary into a false sense of security.…

The statutory reporting requirements of ERISA and some of the regulations recently promulgated are discussed. All type of employee benefit plans are covered. For journal availability see HE 508 741. (LBH)

This symposium paper suggests that in several major respects ERISA will have a substantial impact on the collective bargaining process. The Act virtually prescribes minimum contract language, requires revisions of employee benefit plans, and differs from the Supreme Court in its definition of a successor employer. (Author/LBH)

In this symposium report it is suggested that arbitration can be used to avoid litigation of ERISA pension and welfare benefit claims if the negotiated plan or related collective bargaining agreement provides for arbitration or benefit disputes. (Author/LBH)