The Empire Center for Public Policy said a poll it commissioned shows that 71 percent of public-school teachers support giving new teachers a choice between a defined-contribution retirement plan and a traditional defined-benefit pension.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a defined-contribution retirement plan, similar to a 401(k), but he has indicated that he might drop the proposal if he can gets some overall pension reform.
The Empire Center asked a number of questions about the various pension options to 500 public school teachers. It was conducted March 5-11 by McLaughlin & Associates, the Rockland-based Republican polling firm.
Tim Hoefer, executive director of the fiscally conservative Empire Center, said the poll shows equal support for a defined-contribution option among teachers who also have favorable ratings to teacher unions, which have opposed the 401(k) option.
“Teachers clearly favor the kind of choice the governor wants to offer them,” Hoefer said in a statement. “If anything, state legislators should be working to enhance this proposal.
The poll had a margin of error of 4.5 percent. The Empire Center has supported pension reform……
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