Union City Radio for Friday, October 20

This week is National Retirement Security Week. But according to the National Public Pension Coalition, the reality is that many working families are not saving at all and are woefully unprepared for retirement. Much of the problem stems from lack of access to a retirement savings plan through an employer. At any given time, roughly half of working Americans do not have a retirement savings plan through their job. Among workers who do have a retirement savings plan at work, there has been a significant shift over the past three decades from pensions to 401(k)-style plans. As of last year, just 17% of workers were covered by a pension, a remarkable shift that has a real impact on people’s retirement security.

​On this weekend’s labor calendar, former Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello will be joined by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring at tomorrow’s NoVA Labor Canvass, starting at 9am.
Complete details at dclabor.org, click on Calendar.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1926, Eugene V. Debs, U.S. labor leader and socialist, died in Elmhurst, Illinois. His “radical” ideas included an 8-hour workday, pensions, workman's compensation, sick leave and social security.

Today’s labor quote is by Eugene Debs, who said:
“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”

Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.