U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown continues to champion the fight to repeal WEP/GPO. Why? Because Sen. Brown, the incumbent candidate for Ohio's U.S. Senator, cares about public employees and their ability to retire with dignity!
For more than 40 years members of public employee unions including OCSEA and AFSCME have been punished for entering public service. That’s how long the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) have slashed Social Security Benefits they’ve earned from other jobs. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has been leading the fight to repeal WEP and GPO, and now the battle could be nearing the finish line. Watch an OCSEA video on the fight HERE.
“These laws discourage people from entering public service as a second career,” Brown said. His Social Security Fairness Act now has 62 bipartisan co-sponsors, which is more than enough votes to overcome a filibuster—a procedural hurdle that can block legislation from receiving a vote in the United States Senate. The bill reached that milestone after Brown held a field hearing in Columbus where union members testified about the devastating impact that WEP and GPO can have on their retirements.
Helen Carter, a retired member of Montgomery Chapter 5700, says she was shocked when she learned about WEP and GPO after starting to work for the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services. “I don’t understand this law. I’m so disappointed, and we need to repeal this,” she said. Helen says WEP cuts her Social Security benefits, and because her husband is retired from the military, GPO could reduce future benefits. Helen remains active with AFSCME Retiree Chapter 1184 and is grateful that Senator Brown is fighting to repeal the benefit cuts.
More than 270,000 Ohioans don’t receive the Social Security benefits they are due because of the two laws dating back to the 1970’s and 80’s. But now there is a rising tide of bipartisan support to repeal WEP and GPO on both sides of Capitol Hill, with 218 members of the House of Representatives signing a discharge petition to force a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. That vote is expected to happen after the November election.
The Social Security Fairness Act is the latest example of how Senator Brown is standing up for organized labor and protecting the retirement benefits of union members. He also fought for many years before he was successful in getting the Butch Lewis Act turned into law. The Butch Lewis Act saved pensions for more than 100,000 Ohioans and will keep multiemployer union pension plans solvent for 30 years without any benefit cuts.
Now, Senator Brown has the same dogged determination to repeal WEP and GPO. “This has taken too long, and we’re not giving up until we fix it,” Brown said.
Read the story on this action in the fall edition of the OCSEA magazine at OCSEA.org/PEQ.
