>I assume they're probably getting some kickback or something from the arrangement of restricting the 401k/HSA member's funds to high fee investments.

"Liz Cannon, who heads the Indian River chapter of the Florida Education Association, urged union members to buy retirement investments from Valic Financial Advisors Inc. through a firm owned by the union. That way “we also make money,” she said in a November 2017 newsletter, through regular dividends."

It's stated clearly in the article that there functionally are.

Tip of the iceberg at that. I'm sure there's a few folks between the investment firm and related parties that have bought themselves a boat based on the massive haircut the teachers are taking.

The kick in the gut though is the WSJ article itself. To the naive reader, it makes it seem as if 1% fees are good. They're not. 1% is wildly un-competitive in today's environment.