Speeches & Statements
Speech by Karen Friedman at a meeting of the Kansas City, Missouri Committee to Protect Pensions (February 9, 2017)
Hello! I’m so happy to be here speaking to all of you. Karen Ferguson, the Center’s director, and, Joellen Leavelle, the Center’s communications and outreach director, both wanted me to say a big hello to you too! Because, like me, they love you guys! When Dave Scheidt picked me up at the airport yesterday, he […]
Speech by Karen Friedman at a meeting of the Wisconsin Committee to Protect Pensions (January 28, 2017)
Hello! I’m so happy to be here speaking to all of you. Karen Ferguson, the Center’s director, and, Joellen Leavelle, the Center’s communications and outreach director, both wanted me to say a big hello to you too! Because, like me, they love you guys! When Bob Amsden picked me up at the airport yesterday, he […]
Speech by Karen Friedman at the American Academy of Actuaries’ Annual Meeting and Public Policy Forum (November 3, 2016)
Thank you to the American Academy of Actuaries, Josh and others for inviting me to speak on this panel today on fixing underfunded multiemployer plans – and for those of you who know me, I love this topic. As you will hear loud and clear, although this is a challenging issue, we at the Pension […]
Speech by Karen Friedman at the Breaking Through Power Conference (May 23, 2016)
Hello everyone and good morning! I am so happy to be here on the opening day of “Breaking Through Power.” What an amazing event! First, I want to thank Ralph Nader and all the hard-working staff at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law who put this together. I’m here today to tell you about […]
Karen Friedman’s speech to the Protect Our Pensions Rally (April 14, 2016)
I’m so glad to be here with thousands of you at the Protect Our Pensions Rally! First, I want to especially thank Mike Walden and Bob Amsden and all the leaders of the pension committees throughout the country who made this event happen. You are doing a GREAT job. I’m also honored to share the […]
PRC statement to the Senate Finance Committee on “The Multiemployer Pension Plan System: Recent Reforms and Current Challenges” (March 1, 2016)
The Pension Rights Center is a nonprofit consumer organization that has been working since 1976 to promote and protect the retirement security of American workers and their families. We are pleased that the Senate Finance Committee is holding today’s hearing, “The Multiemployer Pension Plan System: Recent Reforms and Current Challenges.” We hope that the hearing […]
Speech by Karen Friedman to the Texas-Houston Committee to Protect Pensions
Hello, my friends from Texas! I’ve flown here today from Washington, D.C. I’m happy to be talking to you about the movement to STOP the cuts to your pension. And I want to say right up front, we are making good progress on this goal. But I first want to ask you a few questions: […]
Statement of Karen Friedman at U.S. Treasury Department public session in Detroit, Michigan (February 8, 2016)
Thank you, Mr. Feinberg, for allowing me to speak here today. I am Karen Friedman, the Executive Vice President and Policy Director of the Pension Rights Center, a national consumer rights organization that works to protect and promote the retirement security of American workers, retirees and their families. I flew here from Washington today to […]
Speech by Karen Friedman to the Minneapolis Teamsters Committee (November 14, 2015)
Good morning, my friends from the Pension Rights Committee. I’ve flown in from Washington, D.C., and I know I’m in a fighting mood – and I bet you are too. Minnesotans, let’s get mad! Many of you met me when I was here last April, so you know that I’m the executive vice president and […]
Speech by Karen Friedman at the “Stop the Clock on Pension Cuts” Press Conference (September 10, 2015)
My name is Karen Friedman. I’m the Executive Vice President of the Pension Rights Center, a national consumer organization that has been working since 1976 to protect retirement security of American workers, retirees, and their families. Thank you Senator Sanders, Congresswoman Kaptur, and co-sponsors for introducing the Keep Our Pension Promises Act of 2015 (KOPPA). This […]
PRC testimony to Treasury on proposed rules for retiree benefits cuts under MPRA (September 10, 2015)
On September 10, 2015, the U.S. Treasury Department held a public hearing on proposed and temporary rules for implementing pension cuts for retirees in severely troubled multiemployer pension plans, as authorized by the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. PRC Director Karen Ferguson testified at the hearing. Below are her remarks. I am Karen Ferguson, […]
PRC statement to the ERISA Advisory Council on disclosures for pension-risk transfers (August 18, 2015)
PRC Policy Analyst Jane Smith testified before the ERISA Advisory Council on the type of information that an employer should give to its workers and retirees when a company decides to offer lump-sum buyouts or transfer their traditional pension plan to an insurance company. Related: Our press release praising the Treasury Department and the IRS for moving […]
