What you say is correct, but pensions are inherently risky to companies. There are two prime sources of risk: The stock market and retiree statistics. If either

What you say is correct, but pensions are inherently risky to companies. There are two prime sources of risk: The stock market and retiree statistics. If either turns south, the company is required to make up the difference, which can cause smaller companies to fold. When both the stock market and retiree statistics were stable, companies were happy to provide pensions. But both (especially the stock market) are too volatile nowadays for pension plans to be viable. The only solution now is for the federal government to cover the unpredictability of planning for retirement.