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AFSCME Tells Congress to Repeal GPO/WEP
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Summer-Fall 2005
In June, AFSCME Legislation Director Chuck Loveless testified before the House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittee on Social Security, urging Congress to repeal two unfair pension offsets.
REDUCES BENEFITS.
The offsets - the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) - affect the 25 percent of AFSCME members in states or localities where public employees are not covered by Social Security. For them, the GPO significantly reduces or eliminates Social Security spouse and widow benefits. The WEP cuts the Social Security benefits they earned themselves, through other jobs. Some retirees are socked by both penalties.
According to Loveless' testimony, 335,000 retired federal, state and local government employees have already been affected by the GPO and 635,000 by the WEP.
AFSCME believes "it is imperative that Congress take swift action to eliminate the serious inequities and unintended consequences of the application of the GPO and WEP laws," Loveless said. He provided the subcommittee with real-life examples of AFSCME members who've seen their retirement security disappear as a result of the offsets.
CALL FOR REPEAL.
AFSCME is currently backing H.R. 147, a House bill introduced by Reps. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA) that would repeal both the GPO and the WEP. (S. 619, introduced by Sens. Diane Feinstein [D-CA] and Susan Collins [R-ME], is the Senate version of the bill.) Unfortunately, the Social Security Subcommittee has blocked House action on the bill for the last three years, despite bi-partisan support. "The widespread bi-partisan support that exists in Congress for making changes in these laws is due to the gross injustices that have been created by their misapplication," Loveless told the subcommittee. "Congress should act immediately to correct both these unfair laws."
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