journal of pension planning & compliance - Kluwer Law International

Will the Pension
Protection Act Protect
Defined Benefit Pensions?
JONATHAN M. FURDEK AND
JOHN J. LUCAS
T
he
Jonathan M. Furdek, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Operations
Management at Purdue University Calumet where he teaches courses
in quantitative methods and operations management at both the
undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Furdek earned his Ph.D. from
the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University in
Industrial Economics. He received his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees
from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His research
and consulting interests involve pension benefits, manpower and facility
planning, and supply chain management, focusing on the long run
implications of welfare benefits to the operations of the firm.
John J. Lucas, Ph.D., PHR, was formerly the Industrial Relations
Representative for Commonwealth Edison. He has experience in all
facets of Human Resource Management, including labor relations,
benefits administration, human resource planning, and health education.
He received his Master of Science in Industrial Relations (MSIR)
and Ph.D. degrees from Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Lucas also
holds the Professional Human Resource (PHR) license and is an
active member of the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM). He is a professor of Management at Purdue University
Calumet and teaches a variety of human resource management
courses including Labor Relations, Benefits Administration, Collective
Bargaining, Compensation Management, and Human Resource
Planning, Selection and Placement. John’s research interests are in the
areas of labor relations, benefits, and health education. He is also a
graduate of Purdue University Calumet.
Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2008 was designed to
assure that defined benefit pension plans would be adequately
funded to assure future pensioners that their pensions
would be properly supported financially. Organizations are
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