IBM employees protesting the company's proposed switch to a cash...

IBM employees protesting the company’s proposed switch to a cash balance pension plan are expected to meet in Washington tomorrow to urge the corporation to hold off on converting its traditional pension plan, and give employees — especially older workers who would lose out in the switch — the choice of staying in the existing pension plan. The meeting coincides with a Senate Finance Committee hearing on cash balance plans and proposed legislation that would require employers to better inform their employees about the effects of converting to cash balance plans. IBM employees also plan to ask lawmakers to ensure any such legislation they pass is retroactive and would cover changes proposed by IBM, said Karen Friedman, a spokeswoman for the Pension Rights Center.