Retirement

The Republican-led Michigan Legislature narrowly approved a measure Wednesday that would prohibit public schools from automatically deducting union dues from the paychecks of teachers and other employees, a move that unions consider another attack on collective bargaining rights.

Nearly 2,000 union members demonstrated in Albany on Tuesday to urge lawmakers to block New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to cut the taxpayer cost of pensions for future public workers.

Its not as sexy as employee lawsuits and it doesn't grab as many headlines as health reform, but retirement plannings about to get a little more interesting for employers and their benefits managers.

Public employee groups in Kansas have misgivings about a legislative proposal unveiled Friday for overhauling the state pension system, even though it backs away from starting a 401(k)-style plan for new teachers and government workers.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday increased pressure on state lawmakers to win support for his plan to cut pension costs, promising to make sure voters remember which legislators opposed him in the effort he said will reduce taxpayers' burden.

Several Republican-sponsored bills targeting government employee unions appear stalled in the Arizona Senate, a week after one such measure was approved.