SHARE’s parent union, AFSCME, has been working hard to see that state and federal workers have access to Social Security benefits. The passage of the Social Security Fairness Act will affect many members in our sister SHARE Union at the UMass Chang Medical School — as well as some members of our own union, especially those who were UMass Employees with over 10 years of service before UMass Hospital privatized and merged with Memorial Hospital.
Below is a statement from AFSCME International President Lee Saunders . . .
A Historic Victory — Social Security Fairness Passes the Senate: A Message from President Saunders
AFSCME Family:
We’re on the verge of achieving a goal that AFSCME, including many of you, has worked towards for more than four decades. The Senate has joined the House and passed the Social Security Fairness Act – fully repealing the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision (GPO-WEP). The next and final stop will be President Biden’s desk.
I’d like to offer heartfelt thanks to all our AFSCME members, leaders, and affiliates whose work has made this possible, including leaders like OAPSE President Lois Carson who rallied in the pouring rain on Capitol Hill last week and who has tirelessly advocated for repealing these harmful provisions for many years. In the past year alone, activists across the country made more than 8,000 phone calls and wrote more than 28,000 letters to their elected leaders to bring an end to these unfair cuts to public service retirees and their spouses’ Social Security benefits.
I hope this will provide some inspiration that we can continue to fight and win for our members as we go into 2025. Please find my public statement below:
“This historic victory for public service workers is a product of nonstop advocacy and perseverance. For years, AFSCME members have sounded the alarm on GPO-WEP, which denied some public service workers their Social Security benefits simply for pursuing careers that help others. Thanks to Senator Sherrod Brown, who has championed GPO-WEP repeal for over a decade, and the support of a broad coalition of union members who have tirelessly organized, over two million public service workers will finally be able to access the Social Security benefits they spent their careers paying into. Many will finally be able to enjoy retirement after a lifetime of service. We applaud the Senate for passing this legislation and call on President Biden to sign the bill as soon as possible.”
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders
President