January 8, 2025

On Sunday, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, which eliminated the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) rules, which had for 40 years unfairly harmed public service retirees.

 

“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition,” Biden said. “Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity. By signing this bill, we’re extending Social Security benefits for millions of teachers, nurses and other public employees and their spouses and survivors.”

 

Biden was introduced at the signing by an AFSCME retiree, Bette Marafino, a retired community college professor and from Conneticut, who led a task force that pushed for GPO-WEP’s repeal. Marafino described how her grandparents’ Social Security benefits kept them out of the poor house, an actual building located a couple of blocks from her grandmother’s home.

 

“I think the vision of the people who were there in that poor house motivated me and others on the task force … to help correct the injustice that my fellow public service workers who keep our communities running have had to endure,” said Marafino.

 

In a statement, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, who was at the signing, said, “Finally, GPO-WEP is gone for good. These outdated rules denied over two million retired public service workers their hard-earned Social Security benefits. With President Biden’s signing of the Social Security Fairness Act, GPO-WEP becomes a thing of the past.”

Thanks to the tireless efforts of AFSCME members, labor partners and Congressional allies including Ohio's Sen. Sherrod Brown, thousands of AFSCME members, including OCSEA members, can now retire with peace of mind. At the same time, passionate jobseekers will be inspired to pursue public service careers knowing their futures will be secure.

 

“AFSCME members, both on the job and already retired, along with fellow public service workers nationwide, organized petitions, letter-writing campaigns, called representatives in Congress and even traveled to DC to demand answers face-to-face,” said Saunders. This nonstop activism has brought a huge victory for public service workers.

Senator Sherrod Brown and AFSCME President Lee Saunders celebrate that WEP/GPO has been repealed for good!

December 21, 2024
OCSEA members have received an amazing early Christmas gift. The United States Senate just voted to pass the Social Security Fairness Act which repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. For decades, WEP and GPO have reduced Social Security benefits for public employees and their surviving spouses, including members of OCSEA.

 

Last night a bipartisan majority of the Senate voted 76-20 to pass the Social Security Fairness Act after the bill passed the House of Representatives by a wide margin a month ago. The bill now goes to President Biden to sign it into law. When that happens two million retirees from public sector unions will finally receive their full Social Security benefits and future retirees can look forward to a better quality of life in their golden years.

 

“It’s time for OCSEA members to celebrate a great victory!” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. “It’s been a long fight but your calls and emails helped make a difference.”

 

President Mabe also gives credit to Senator Sherrod Brown who spent years leading the fight to repeal WEP and GPO. Sen. Brown sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act in the Senate and held a hearing in Columbus last summer to build support for the legislation.

 

“Sherrod has been a great friend of labor and deserves credit for making sure our members receive the Social Security benefits they deserve,” Mabe said.  “We can’t thank him enough.”

 

WEP and GPO had cut benefits for more than 270,000 Ohioans who split their careers working between the public and private sectors. Now that injustice will come to an end.

CC: OCSEA Board and Staff

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