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Happy Labor Day 2023!
Holiday
CFT offices will be closed for this federal holiday.
On Labor Day, we reflect on working people’s victories. Unions are more popular this Labor Day than at any time in more than 50 years—with 71% of Americans now approving of unions.
But this momentum didn’t happen by accident. Working people have organized together for decades—standing together to address low wages, unsafe workplaces, unaffordable health care and a lack of respect on the job.
Sign to support the passage of SB394
SB 394: Creating a Statewide Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools.
#YesOnSB394
Please take a moment to sign the CFT petition urging Governor Newsom and Assemblymember Holden to support the passage of SB 394 to create a Statewide Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools.
As California’s climate changes and extreme weather events such as heat, smoke, and flooding intensify, our aging public school infrastructure is increasingly unable to provide a healthy and safe learning environment. This threatens our health and safety as teachers and school staff and has serious, life altering impacts on our students.
New Look for Orange County Classified Professionals
“Employees” is now “Professionals” – in line with the CFT approach
Get out your smart phones and change your listing for AFT Local 4794. Members of the Coast Federation of Classified Employees voted unanimously at their spring meeting for a new name and look. “Employees” is now “Professionals” – in line with the CFT approach – and a Local 4794 task force created a new logo.
Lawndale Federation brings home medical coverage for part-timers
The District scheduled part-timers so they were always a few minutes short of the ACA requirement to provide health benefits.
Watch this powerful video of members talking about their hard fought win for medical benefits.
For 30 years, the Lawndale Elementary School District denied their part-time classified employees health benefits. The District scheduled part-timers so they were always a few minutes short of the ACA requirement to provide health benefits.
Data leak impacting hundreds of thousands of STRS and CalPERS retirees and beneficiaries
In June both the CalSTRS and CalPERS systems announced that data from a third-party vendor had leaked, impacting hundreds of thousands of retirees and beneficiaries in both systems. The leak did not impact actively employed members of either system.
In total, cyber-attackers stole personal information from 769,000 CalPERS retired members, including names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates. The hackers also may have gotten the names of former or current employers, spouses or domestic partners, and children.
CFT task force to end the two-tier system in the community colleges convenes
Convening around a bold vision of total systemic reform, CFT has formed a task force that will take a deep dive into our state’s community colleges and develop a strategic plan to end the two-tier faculty system.
Find Key Resources
WEP/GPO Repeal Toolkit
TAKE ACTION
Sign the AFT Petition!
The AFT is collecting signatures to help repeal the WEP and GPO.
Sign the Move-On Petition!
The national Alliance for Retired Americans started a petition to push the U.S. Congress to enact legislation that will repeal the WEP and GPO. Add your support by signing on to the Moveon.org petition. It’s fast and easy!
Contact your Congressional Representatives
Please contact your elected representatives to urge support of these bills before the U.S. Congress. The legislation listed below is current as of December 15, 2021.
- Contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives (search by zip code upper right)
- Contact California’s U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla
Priority Bills
H.R. 82 The Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 was introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis (D-IL) and would repeal WEP and GPO. It is the most comprehensive and bipartisan piece of legislation with 301 co-sponsors as of September 27, 2022!
H.R. 5723 Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust was introduced by Rep. John Larson (D-CT) on October 26, 2021, and would repeal WEP and GPO, among other issues. The bill has 194 co-sponsors, all Democratic.
S. 1302 The Social Security Fairness Act to repeal WEP and GPO was introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on April 22, 2021. The bill has 36 co-sponsors, 30 Democratic, 2 Independent, and 4 Republican.
Limited Scope Bills
H.R. 2337 The Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act was introduced by Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and proposes a modified repeal of WEP. It has 183 co-sponsors, all Democratic.
H.R. 5834 The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2021 was introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) on November 3, 2021, and would eliminate the WEP. The bill has 38 co-sponsors, 35 Republicans and 3 Democrats, all Texans.
THE FACTS
Quick Definitions
The WEP and the GPO are penalties that negatively affect retirees who receive pensions from government agencies that do not participate in the Social Security system. This includes California teachers who are in CalSTRS. Many of these retirees have earned Social Security retirement benefits from other work during their lifetimes or for being an eligible spouse. The GPO and WEP cut or eliminate earned Social Security retirement benefits.
-
WEP — Windfall Elimination Provision
Can cut an amount up to to half the value of your pension from the Social Security you have earned in other work. The WEP may reduce your Social Security benefit, but it will not eliminate it. -
GPO — Government Pension Offset
Affects your spousal, widow or widower Social Security benefits that are based on your spouse’s earnings. If you are married to someone who is earning Social Security, you will probably lose all spousal or survivor retirement benefits due to you from taxes paid by your spouse during the marriage.
Resources
U.S. Social Security Administration
-
Windfall Elimination Provision
Use the WEP online calculator and WEP reduction chart. -
Government Pension Offset
Use the GPO online calculator.
CalSTRS — How does Social Security affect me?
Congressional Research Service — Search for WEP and GPO to find current reports.
Books
Social Security Offset Penalties
By Jeanette A. Wicks (Cactus Valley LLC)
Covers how each offset penalty will affect you, how
offsets are calculated, why they are unfair, and how to
take action to end them.
The Hero’s Penalty
How Social Security Works for Educators
By Devin Carroll
Directly focused on the WEP and GPO, but more from the viewpoint
of how to work around them rather than how to repeal them.
Carroll also has a YouTube channel
that covers retirement issues.
Social Security Works!
Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will
Help Us All
By Nancy J. Altman and Eric R. Kingson (The New
Press)
A highly respected, thoroughly detailed factual rebuttal of
misrepresentations of Social Security’s problems, a book
that offers solutions in a progressive framework that make
clear sense about how to resolve “the crisis.”
NEWSROOM
These articles help explain the impact of the WEP and GPO on California teachers and other public service workers.
From the CFT and AFT
-
Retirees
gearing up for national midterm elections: Voices of experience
hope to educate younger Americans, reverse Social Security
penalties
CFT United, May 31, 2022 -
What are the WEP and GPO and how will they affect your
pension?
CFT United, December 10, 2021 -
Texas retirees fight to repeal rules that cut benefits
AFT, December 13, 2019
From the General Media
-
Retired teachers in California struggle to make ends meet with
no access to Social Security
KTVU, September 21, 2021
Find all of our articles related to retirement security in the CFT
Newsroom.
RESOLUTIONS
The CFT has passed the following resolutions in support of repealing WEP and GPO.
-
Reform
the Social Security Act to eliminate WEP and GPO
March 27, 2021
The AFT has passed these resolutions.
- Repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset (2022)
- Achieving national retirement security for all workers (2018)
- Strengthening Social Security (2008)
- Social Security offset and public employees Social Security benefit reductions (2002)
PARTNERS
In addition to working with the AFT and the NEA, the CFT partners with the following organizations, to fight for elimination of the WEP and GPO.
National WEP/GPO Task Force
A national coalition of representatives from retiree
organizations including the CFT working to repeal the WEP
and GPO.
Social Security
Fairness
A grassroots coalition working to change the WEP and GPO that
deny many public employees, including California teachers, the
Social Security benefits they have earned.
California
Alliance for Retired Americans
The statewide alliance that unites retired union workers and
community groups to win a more secure future for individuals,
families, and future generations.
California Retired Teachers
Association
CalRTA’s mission is to protect and advocate for retired and
active educators’ pensions and other retirement benefits and to
support public education in our communities.