Hi All,

Last week, we had a win as the US House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) and repealed the Social Security Act’s Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. While this is excellent news, we must be proactive in getting it through the Senate. Randi Weingarten and National AFT have sent out a message to all members on how to reach out to your Senate members, urging them to pass this bill through the Senate. Repealing WEP and the GPO will put more money in the retiree’s pockets, money they have earned and should be entitled to. Below, I have attached President Weingarten’s message outlining how you can support this important legislation:

In Unity,

A. James McKeever PhD

President, AFT 1521 Faculty Guild

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) and fully repeal the Social Security Act’s Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. Thousands of AFT members contacted their representatives and made a difference!

While we celebrate this milestone, we know that the fight for commonsense solutions for seniors requires the U.S. Senate to vote on this legislation too. Contact your senators today and urge them to quickly pass the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597).

This bipartisan bill, led by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), would fully repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which threaten the Social Security benefits of millions of retired teachers, support staff and other public employees every day. These workers spent their careers serving their communities and paying into Social Security with the promise of a fair retirement. But the WEP and the GPO unfairly penalize these retirees in states across the country and in Puerto Rico, making it more difficult to retire.

While current law does not impact every retiree in every state, the people affected feel real economic pain. That is why Brown and Collins have championed the Social Security Fairness Act, a bill that would fully repeal the WEP and the GPO.

They and the AFT have worked hard to ensure that over 60 U.S senators support the repeal of these bad provisions. Ask your senators to vote yes on the Social Security Fairness Act.

For decades, the WEP and GPO have undermined the ability to retire with dignity. Now the U.S. Senate has the power to get this done and pass legislation that would be a real solution for millions of retirees. The Social Security Fairness Act is supported by a robust, bipartisan group of lawmakers. It’s vitally important to tell your senator that now is the time to fully repeal the WEP and the GPO.

Ending the WEP and GPO is a real, commonsense solution that the AFT has been fighting for to make life better for retirees. Join us and take action now!

In unity,

Randi Weingarten

AFT President