Pension Battles Loom Across the U.S.

A pension war is brewing, and it's likely to pit state and municipal employees against citizens who foot the bill for government pension plans with their state tax dollars.

While employees of most companies have watched their 401(k) plans, and their retirement hopes, shrivel in the bear market, public employees have been smiling. They've been promised lucrative pensions, which have increased over the years as cities and states negotiated labor contracts. Now those public employees are about to find out they are not immune from the ravages of the stock market.

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates that state pension plans have losses greater than $865 billion, a loss of nearly 40 percent in just the past year. Add those current losses to the fact that many municipalities have gotten away with under-funding those pension plans for years, and you have trouble brewing. ...