Bill would require private sector pensions

Democrats have introduced legislation that would require private sector employers to take slightly better care of their employees.

Senate Bill 1234, introduced by Sen. Kevin De León (D-L.A.), would require businesses with five or more employees to enroll them in a defined benefit program or offer a comparable alternative plan.

Supporting legislators, including Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg and Assemblymember Warren Furutani, agree that private sector employees are in need of the same retirement support that special interest groups seek to eliminate for public employees.

"I hear a lot about 'pension envy,'" said Assm. Furutani.

The legislation dropped shortly after a group of Republican legislators submitted a "cut-and-paste" version of Governor Jerry Brown's aggressive pension reform scheme.

You can expect the debate on your earned benefits to heat up even further as your peers address legislators at ACSS Lobby Day in March.