Recent Labor News

A top lawmaker in Rhode Island says she thinks the state's General Assembly will authorize a referendum on permitting casino games at Newport Grand.

A fourteen-member panel created by last year's pension reform legislation held its first meeting yesterday at the Rhode Island State House to discuss failing municipal pension systems. After months of debate about the state pension system last year, the first meeting of the panel — which comprises municipal executives, union leaders and other political appointees — represents the beginning of a new chapter as the state shifts its focus to unfunded liabilities facing the pension systems of Rhode Island cities and towns.

Delores, a retired Rhode Island state employee, was one of five panelists to speak at a recent event hosted by the National Public Pension Coalition (NPPC) in Washington, D.C. The NPPC panel discussion aimed to separate fact from fiction as union organizations and policy leaders work to protect retirement security across the country.

A plan to allow the city of Pawtucket to borrow up to $12.6 million to ease a cash-flow problem won the support of a key legislative panel Tuesday. City officials told lawmakers they need the money to overcome a cash-flow problem that threatens to delay worker paychecks next month. The city faces a $2 million shortfall in the current year's budget.