Thanks for this article, though there  are a few inaccurate statements: not all SEIU union members got 6% raises.  The only retirement account we have is now IAP since 2004. People like myself have been working for longer, and are Tier 1 or Tier 2 PERS. I have worked for 35 years for low pay in return for the PERS 6% pickup. After 35 years of working at OSU and earning a Master's degree in my area of work, I make $48k per year.  If I retired right now, I would be taking a $6k pay cut per year, because I have a beneficiary who will need help after my death. I have earned every penny of my PERS, sometime taking a much lower earnings rate than the true market earnings. Do not raid my retirement, please.  I have worked long and hard for my retirement account in lieu of a salary that someone doing this work would earn in the federal government or in the private sector.