Legislative Matters
(This appeared in the March/April 2008 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
Judy Beard, Director
In recent months, two congressional subcommittees held hearings on an issue of utmost concern to retirees — legislation that would repeal provisions of the Social Security laws that deny earned benefits to Civil Service Retirement Service (CSRS) retirees.
I attended the Jan. 16, 2008, hearing held by the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, along with APWU Assistant Legislative Director Steve Albanese. The APWU submitted testimony for the record, explaining the importance of ending this injustice. Steve also attended a Nov. 6, 2007, hearing on the topic, held by the Senate Subcommittee on Social Security, Pension and Family.
The hearings focused on legislation that would repeal the unfair Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provisions (WEP). The GPO affects CSRS retirees by reducing or eliminating survivor benefits under Social Security if a surviving spouse is receiving a CSRS pension.
The WEP reduces the Social Security benefits of CSRS retirees who do not have at least 30 years of “substantial earnings” over the course of their working lives from jobs outside of the federal sector from which Social Security taxes were deducted.
The bills under consideration are S. 206 in the Senate and H.R. 82 in the House. The APWU supports these bills, and we will continue to work to eliminate inequities in the Social Security System that have a negative impact on our retired members or their spouses.
The union highlighted Social Security fairness for federal retirees as one of our major goals. The bottom line is this: It’s time for postal and federal retirees to get a fair shake.
(To see a complete list of co-sponsors on these bills, visit the Retirees Department pages atwww.apwu.org .)
APWU Retirees Rock!
Many APWU members often ask: “What do I do once I retire?” It is, of course, a personal choice, and while some make plans years in advance, others decide to continue to work. Some people, however, never seem to retire.
Karen Wing, a long-time APWU member and former officer of the San Francisco Local, has “retired” twice — as a USPS employee in 2005; as an APWU officer in 2007. But she’s never slowed down.
In addition to being a long-distance bicycling devotee, Karen is involved in volunteer work, helped found a “Toastmasters” club, serves on the board of an inner-city child development center, and is a guide at a science museum. She is also assisting another retired APWU member, Mary Ann Medina, in the formation of a local chapter of the APWU Retirees Department.
Yet another Bay Area APWU retiree is keeping pace. Long a presence in city politics, Richard Ow recently was sworn in as a commissioner on the San Francisco Commission on Aging, which oversees the budget for a lunch program, home care, and other services for senior citizens.
The long-time activist APWU member retired from the Postal Service in 1990. Since then Ow has been busy with Democratic politics and has served on the Immigrants Rights Commission and the Disability Council. Meanwhile, he represents local postal-worker retirees at area AFL-CIO events and is involved with the San Francisco Labor Council.
If you have a story to share about your activities as a retiree or as part of an APWU chapter, please send it to Judy Beard, Director, APWU Retirees Department, 1300 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20005. Include your address and phone number, and please provide your photo.