美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Why Is There Nothing Left?' Pension Funds Failing At Catholic Hospitals

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

In upstate New York, hundreds of former employees of a Catholic hospital have lost their pensions after their pension fund collapsed¹. Now, their situation illustrates² a problem that is pretty widespread. Many religious organizations are not covered by a federal program that protects most other employees' pensions. NPR's Chris Arnold brought us this report.

CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE³: The people who worked at St. Clare's Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y., say it was like being part of a big family - for some, especially.

KAREN BRADLEY: My dad worked there as a pharmacist when I was a young kid. And I, you know, I remember I was always there, it seemed like, always part of that community of people.

ARNOLD: Karen Bradley followed her dad's lead and worked at the hospital for 24 years. She's a nurse. She's 56 now. Bradley says the pay wasn't great at St. Clare's, but it was a good hospital.

BRADLEY: I enjoyed what I did there and believed in the promises that were made about the pension.

ARNOLD: But the hospital, which was founded by the Catholic Church, ran into financial problems. And in 2008, it was folded into a larger hospital system. Workers were told, though, at that time that the pension would still be there for them. But then a year ago, they got letters in the mail. Bradley was told, essentially⁴, her 24 years at the hospital didn't matter. Her pension was gone. She stands to get nothing.

BRADLEY: Why is there nothing left? Who screwed up? You know, who did what to who? And how come this happened? And who's accountable?

ARNOLD: The AARP Foundation is asking the same questions. It's suing the Catholic Diocese of Albany on behalf of the workers. The lawsuit⁵ says more than 600 people lost their entire pensions. Bradley says her husband has some retirement⁶ savings⁷, but the couple's not sure that it's going to be enough.

BRADLEY: We have a daughter who has special needs, so we have to worry about her future, too.

ARNOLD: Now, most people in the U.S. do not have pensions, but those that do - the vast majority are protected by a government insurance program. Employers with pensions have to pay into it. But religious organizations, such as Catholic hospitals, they can opt⁸ out and both avoid that expense and the cost of complying with other federal pension rules. That's what the people managing St. Clare's Hospital did. So there is no guarantee, and many workers really are left with nothing.

Dara Smith is an attorney with the AARP Foundation.

DARA SMITH: It's incredibly devastating⁹. I mean, these folks were relying on this money for their retirement, and they were promised it over and over.

ARNOLD: And there are about 1 million people with pensions from religious organizations that have no federal backstop. That's an estimate from lawyers in a related case. That's not to say that all those pension plans are in trouble, but some are.

And there is a growing number of lawsuits¹⁰. The St. Clare's case argues that even though the hospital had an exemption¹¹ from the federal rules, it still violated state law by failing to provide the pensions that were promised, so, Dara Smith says, religious groups can't just abandon their workers.

SMITH: This is really a new wave of lawsuits finding a way to make sure that they can be held accountable.

ARNOLD: Sixty-nine-year-old Mary Hartshorne is also affected¹². She worked in radiology at the hospital. And she's actually had to sell her house because of this pension debacle. And it's still pretty hard for her to talk about it.

MARY HARTSHORNE: That house was going to be the place I retired¹³. It was just a little house, but it sat on a little lake, and it was so pretty and peaceful. And it just wasn't - it wasn't going to work out. I knew it wasn't. And I'm OK. I'm going to - you know, you get through it, but it does take its toll¹⁴ on your heart and soul.

ARNOLD: And, actually, Hartshorne says she's better off than most. She's in a smaller class of older workers who were offered 70% of their pensions going forward. But she says she couldn't trust that the money would be there, so she took a lump-sum payout instead, which she says wasn't very much money.

For its part, the diocese declined an interview due to the litigation but said in a statement that it knows that people are suffering but that the diocese, quote, "never managed the St. Clare's pension fund. St. Clare's is a separate corporation," end quote.

Victoria Esposito is a local legal aid attorney working with the AARP on the case. She says it's not true that the diocese has no responsibility.

VICTORIA ESPOSITO: This hospital was run by the Catholic Church, more specifically the Diocese of Albany. And the Diocese of Albany is responsible for making these people whole and paying their pensions.

ARNOLD: Like many dioceses, Albany is facing costs related to the church sex abuse scandal. But the lawyers for the workers say the diocese is not bankrupt. There is money there. So Esposito hopes the lawsuit can succeed so the people who worked at St. Clare's Hospital can get their pensions back.

Chris Arnold, NPR News.

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

6 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

9 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

10 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

11 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

14 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。