Under court rulings, lawmakers can't reduce benefits under current pension plans. Unions often are wary of changes sought by the Legislature's Republican majority, but studying the size of the problem doesn't stir the waters much. The Senate president has a great idea. Unions won't accept, though, creating a third class of employees with lesser pensions. Some union leaders criticize the deficit estimates and doubt if there's a big problem.
PERS is one of the best funded plans in the country.
Democrats, closely allied with unions, will fight creating a third pension class. A bill to do that passed in the Senate in 1999 but was crushed 40-20 in the House, when the minority Democrats held two fewer seats. The third tier is purely punitive against public employees, creating different benefits for employees working alongside each other.