The Pension Rights Center is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization established in 1976. Its stated mission is "to protect and promote the retirement security of American workers, retirees and their families."
Background
Karen Ferguson became a consultant for the
United Mine Workers of America
The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...
where she learned that corporate interest groups planned to undermine the new
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. She told
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes.
The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...
about the issue and he gave her $10,000 to fight for the rights of pensioners.
With the money from Nader, Ferguson founded the Pension Rights Center in 1976. Nader later contributed another $30,000.
The center is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization established to protect the pensions of retirees.
The Center provides information, referrals, and legal assistance to individuals, provides legal training to attorneys, and advocates on policy issues related to retirement income from a workers' and consumers' perspective.
Since 1993, the Center has received support from the
Administration on Aging to provide technical assistance and training to six regional pension counseling projects that serve 29 states free of charge. These regional pension counseling projects assist individuals who have questions about their retirement plan.
The Center's website includes fact sheets about retirement income issues and summaries of legislation, regulations, and court cases.
The Center also operates PensionHelp America, an online legal referral service.
The Center files comments on proposed government regulations, testifies before congressional committees,
and coordinates Retirement USA, an initiative to promote new ideas for a retirement system in the United States.
Funding
The Pension Rights Center receives funding from the U.S. Administration on Aging,
The Atlantic Philanthropies
The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) was a private foundation created in 1982 by Irish-American businessman Chuck Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies focused its giving on health, social, and politically left-leaning public policy causes in Australia ...
, Retirement Research Foundation,
AARP
AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazin ...
, and individuals.
See also
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Employee Benefits Security Administration
The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor responsible for administering, regulating and enforcing the provisions of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ...
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Elder law
Elder rights are the rights of older adults (usually those in the seventh decade of life or older, although this definition is disputed), who in various countries are not recognized as a constitutionally protected class, yet face discrimination ...
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United States Senate Special Committee on Aging
The United States Senate Special Committee on Aging was initially established in 1961 as a temporary committee; it became a permanent Senate committee in 1977. As a special committee, it has no legislative authority, but it studies issues relate ...
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PBGC
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is a United States federally chartered corporation created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to encourage the continuation and maintenance of voluntary private defined b ...
References
External links
Administration on Aging
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Government watchdog groups in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Organizations established in 1970
Political advocacy groups in the United States
Retirement plans in the United States