"The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill moving through Congress this week adopts 'Solutions Not Bailouts,' a plan to shore up struggling multiemployer pension funds -- traditional defined benefit plans jointly funded by groups of employers in industries like construction, trucking, mining and food retailing. A bailout, it is not. The centerpiece is a provision that would open the door to cutting current beneficiaries' benefits, a retirement policy taboo and a potential disaster for retirees on fixed incomes."  MORE >>