Conferees Will Wrestle With Pension Reform.

The U.S. House and Senate lawmakers soon will begin trying to work out a compromise to fix problems in the pension system. But there are sharp differences between the bills that cleared each chamber. The Senate version has provisions to help multi-employer pension plans. Many construction groups and labor unions support the Senate measure, passed on January 28, that provides temporary help for multi-employer plans still ailing from declines in stock-market investment values over the past few years. The Senate bill also provides temporary relief for single-employer plans, changing the interest rate companies use to calculate their pension payments.