"Specifically, President Sweeney has committed to shift the Federation's
political and legislative direction.
According to Dan Houston, senior vice president at the Principal
Financial Group, "The EBRI research validates what plan sponsors,
individual investors and their advisors tell us every day. About two-thirds (66 percent) of noncontributing workers
said automatic enrollment in a retirement plan upon being hired would
make them very likely or somewhat likely to participate .

Sites for media coverage of politics in Australia.

defence asf

He is
the leader to position our united movement to regain our place in the national
debate.
"As part of the evolving reform process, President Sweeney has recently
embraced the belief within the IAFF that winning new union members and
legislative and political battles requires a mix of message and motivation.
"President Sweeney has also committed to all affiliates that his reform
planning and implementation will continue to evolve.

A matching contribution by the employer of up to 3 percent of
workers' salary (cited by 51 percent of nonparticipating
workers).

syndicalist incite

Sweeney Embraces Bi-Partisan Political and Legislative Approach and
Public Messaging Campaigns As Strategic + Structural Reforms

WASHINGTON, The General President of the
International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, Harold Schaitberger ,
issued this statement today on the leadership of the AFL-CIO:

"The AFL-CIO has suffered a reduction of influence and power.
"President Sweeney has also renewed his commitment to refocus the AFL-
CIO's communications resources and efforts.

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IAFF Endorses AFL-CIO President John Sweeney for Re-Election

A provision that automatically raises workers' contributions
by a fixed amount or percentage when they receive a pay raise
(cited by 55 percent of nonparticipating workers).
Workers are finally getting the message that their employer-sponsored
benefits are extremely important to their future security. A member of the
Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $168.

(2)As of December 31, 2004

asf linking

That debate
has been mostly very productive and constructive. He has consistently risen above
the negative fray of personal attacks.

2005 Retirement Confidence Survey: How to Increase Worker Savings? 401ks Provide Ideas

rebel iwa

Complete RCS results are available on the EBRI Web site at
www.

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The reasons
are varied, but two stand out: shifts in the types of employment and the
globalization of not just our economy but of workplaces and workforces .

anarchist hermits

His focus has remained on the need for
labor to emerge energized, and with a unity of purpose.

These
ideas will ensure the Federation reaches its potential to organize
effectively, elect worker -friendly politicians, get pro-worker laws passed,
and make our movement's message relevant to all workers now and in the future. The IAFF's legislative "score card" recognizes that very few
politicians can or will ever achieve a 100 percent voting record on our
issues.

defence commentators

"Throughout this debate , AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has remained
focused on the changes that need to be made. He knows that the combination of our resources and power are the
engines that will drive our movement through these trying times. He has shown a willingness to effectively re-
tool the Federation to create an efficient, effective and lean operation with
an agenda focused on a core of critical, strategically targeted
responsibilities.
And we continue to support his leadership.

rebel incite

"

The IAFF has successfully employed a non-partisan approach to politics by
setting its political and legislative agenda and priorities based on the
interests of its members, not the interest of any political party or specific
candidate, and by reaching out to elected officials on an issue-by-issue
basis. Visit us @
http://www. Nearly three-fourths (72
percent) said an employer matching contribution of up to 5 percent of
their salary would make them much more likely or somewhat more likely
to participate in a retirement savings plan at work. Principal Financial Group, Inc.

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linking hermits

"The new focus will mean that the AFL-CIO will change from primarily
getting its message out through internal communications vehicles, to
delivering clear, concise messages using contemporary media, the internet and
other emerging technologies -- where most current and potential members and
voters get the news and information that shapes their views -- helping us make
the labor movement relevant to their everyday lives.

Less than half of workers not contributing to their employer's
plan backed two other options: 49 percent said they would be more
likely to participate in a retirement savings plan that included a set
of mutual fund investment options with a pre-set mix of conservative,
moderate and aggressive investments; and 35 percent said they would be
more likely to join a plan in which a professional financial manager
made investment decisions based on the results of a questionnaire
workers completed .
The new Retirement Confidence Survey findings are of particular
relevance as Congress debates restructuring Social Security to provide
voluntary individual investment accounts: Even if such accounts were
created, the currently low national savings rates suggests there would
be challenges getting many people to use them.

linking intellectuals

He is a leader who will
work to embrace and implement ideas throughout his term of leadership.org.
New questions in the 15th annual RCS included a range of options
that could persuade workers not contributing to their employment-based
retirement savings plan to participate .
The survey was conducted by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit
Research Institute (EBRI) and Mathew Greenwald + Associates, Inc. In fact, according
to our recent Principal Financial Well-Being Index (a regular study of
American workers' views on financial security) workers are
increasingly concerned about their long-term financial futures. For more
information, visit www.

takver intellectuals

However, the person to lead that discussion remains clear. While the AFL-CIO will continue to
support and maintain relationships with those Democrats who have historically
and continuously supported the goals of our movement, it will also build
bridges over party lines to Republicans who can be with us on selected issues . This shift will not change the
fact that individual Federation union affiliates will continue to be
responsible for tailoring the message to their current and prospective members
in organizing and political campaigns.
The RCS, first released in 1991, is a comprehensive study of the
attitudes and behaviors of American workers and retirees toward
saving, retirement planning, and long-term financial security.

tendencies anarcho

Throughout
this debate, President Sweeney has once again proved that he is the person to
lead the Federation, particularly during this crucial period of reform.com

(1)"The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are
registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc.

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The 267,000-member IAFF, headquartered in Washington, D.S.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON----What does it take to
get workers to save more in their retirement plan? Based on the 401(k)
experience, the message from workers is clear: Show me the money--the
matching money --according to the 2005 Retirement Confidence Survey
(RCS) released today.9 million customers
worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and
the United States.principal.

edited iwa

"In order to be relevant once again, the leaders of our Federation and its
affiliates have been engaged in a debate over how to restructure, retool, and
change the direction, strategies and operations of the AFL-CIO. In the last
election cycle, FIREPAC contributed fully one-third of its funds to Republican
candidates, significantly more than any other major national union."
Currently, more than 3 in 4 eligible workers (78 percent) are
offered retirement plans where employers match all or part of their
workers' contributions, the survey found. This proportion has remained relatively
constant in recent years and did not change in the 2005 RCS, even as
policymakers began discussing major changes in the federal pension
system.

nugget crikey

This strategy will enable us to become more non-partisan , focusing our efforts
on building worker majorities, not party majorities, in our legislative
bodies . More than 2,900 affiliates protect nearly
6,000 communities in Canada and in every state in the U., a
member of the Principal Financial Group.

tendencies abc

They want
more "do-it-for-me" tools and services to meet their long-term
security needs, such as target date funds, professionally managed
accounts and automatic deferral step-up programs.

defence linking

iaff. and
was underwritten by the Principal Financial Group ,(R) the nation's
401(k) leader and total retirement solutions innovator.ebri.

activists hermits

Rather, it focuses on embracing a pragmatic approach to lobbying,
attempting to build different coalitions of support on each legislative
priority. The IAFF is the
14th largest of the 58 AFL-CIO affiliate unions and has experienced 35
consecutive years of membership growth -- putting it in the top five unions in
membership growth through the past five years.

The study
found that a majority of workers not contributing to their employer's
retirement plan cited three other factors that also could make them
more likely to participate in a workplace saving plan:

An investment option that automatically provides workers a
more conservative investment allocation as their retirement
date approaches, such as the "lifestyle" funds some providers
currently offer (cited by 66 percent of nonparticipating
workers).

rebel debates

The IAFF's Political Action Committee , FIREPAC, is currently one of the
Top 25 PACs among the more than 4,000 registered in the nation .

defence crikey

"President Sweeney's willingness to find the most effective strategies and
structures to reinvigorate our Federation are shown in his commitment to
embrace ideas and concepts that are completely different than the approach
taken by the AFL-CIO to date.

fence incite

"Above all else, President Sweeney has remained firmly on the side of
solidarity.
"The IAFF has been and will continue to carefully weigh the issues in this
reform discussion.org

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group(R) (The Principal (R))(1) is a
leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a
wide range of financial products and services, including retirement
and investment services, life and health insurance and banking through
its diverse family of financial services companies.7 billion in
assets under management(2) and serves some 14. is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG.

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Following several meetings with President Sweeney and his embrace of key
issues that the IAFF believes must be at the core of the reform, the IAFF 's
Executive Board unanimously voted to endorse John Sweeney for re-election as
president of the AFL-CIO.C., represents 85
percent of the professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80
percent of the nation's population. Eighty-two percent of
eligible workers said they signed up for their employer's retirement
savings plan.
And concerning Social Security, the survey found that nearly 7 in
10 (68 percent) of today's workers are skeptical that Social Security
will be able to provide them benefits of at least equal value to those
current retirees receive.