(Program to be published in Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal)

Moderator:
Jonathan Barry Forman, University of Oklahoma
(view material) PDF file

Speakers:
Glenda Chambers, Executive Director, Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS), Baton Rouge, Louisiana (view material)
Kathryn L. Moore, University of Kentucky (view material)
John Turner, Public Policy Institute, AARP, Washington, D.C. (view material) PDF file
Steven L. Willborn, University of Nebraska (view material)

How will Social Security and the private pension system evolve to meet the needs of workers and retirees in the coming decades? The work force has changed dramatically since passage of the Social Security Act of 1935 and even since the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Americans are living longer and healthier lives, workers rarely stay with the same employer for an entire career, more women are in the paid workforce and elderly workers are challenging the traditional notion of full retirement at age 65. Many state, local and foreign pension systems have already begun to address these demographic challenges and this panel will discuss some of the most significant regulatory reforms. At the outset, Dr. Turner will talk about his research on Social Security reforms around the world. Next, Ms. Chambers will tell us about innovations in the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, including its ground breaking phased retirement program, the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP). Then, Dean Willborn will talk about the new European Community Pension Directive and about the Uniform Management of Public Employee Retirement Systems Act (UMPERSA). Finally, Professor Moore will tell us what we can learn from the recent reform of the French retirement system.

Business Meeting at Program Conclusion