Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Pensions! We have gathered the best stories about pensions and retirement security from the previous week. You need to know this news in the fight for a secure retirement.
NPPC News
Do you know if your state has a surplus or deficit in its budget? Did you also know this could affect your retirement? In this week’s The Defined Benefit, we examine different state’s budgets and how they can impact retirement and public services. Read about it here!
This week, our executive director Kendal Killian spoke at the monthly meeting for SEIU Local 284 about the vital need for pensions, the unreliability of 401 (k) retirement programs, and how a defined benefit pension plan serves as the best recruitment tool. Watch the video to hear his remarks below!
AFT Applauds House ‘Yes’ Vote on the Social Security Fairness Act
In a remarkable victory for public workers, the House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. This marks a significant leap forward in ensuring that public workers receive all the retirement benefits they are entitled to.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten and Roger Boudreau, the President of the AFT’s Rhode Island chapter, released a joint statement saying, “The Social Security Fairness Act rights a wrong that has been unfair and uncorrected for far too long,” said Weingarten. “The Windfall Elimination Program and the Government Pension Offset have undermined the retirement security of educators, school staff, and state and local government workers for decades. When you contribute to Social Security, it should be there for you when you retire. Period.”
WEP and GPO have been longstanding acts that prevent public workers who receive pensions from collecting social security. This leads to many workers, such as teachers who find alternate work in the summer or state workers who enter their careers in their 40s, missing out on crucial benefits they paid into for years.
If H.R. 82 is passed into law, it will help rectify this retirement injustice.
Teachers, cops, firefighters, and other public sector employees rally at Illinois capitol for pension fix.
This week, a large coalition of public workers demonstrated at the Ilinois state capitol to fight for a more equitable pension system. This group of teachers, state workers, firefighters, and police officers are urging lawmakers to adjust the two-tier system of the Illinois State Retirement System (SRS).
25 News reports that one of the largest concerns among Tier 2 employees is the higher retirement age. Brandon Thornton, a Special Education teacher, says he cannot retire until age 67.
They also report that, according to the Illinois Education Association, nearly three in five teachers have considered leaving the profession, and the retirement system is a major reason why.
A Tier 1 employee can retire by age 60, or by age 55 if they have worked at least 35 years. There are currently two bills in the legislature to address some of these discrepancies, such as bringing the final benefits calculations closer and closing the retirement age gap between the tiers.
As with most legislation, it’s an uncertain battle, and these bills can radically change before they are even voted on, let alone passed. One thing has been made sure this week: the public workers of Illinois aren’t going to be quiet about it.
Be sure to check back next Friday for the latest news in the fight for a secure retirement! For now, sign up for NPPC News Clips to receive daily pension news from across the country directly to your inbox.