BROWN, BRAUN INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO RESTORE RETIREMENT BENEFITS FOR DELPHI SALARIED RETIREES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Mike Braun (R-IN) led the introduction of the Susan Muffley Act, bipartisan legislation to restore retirement benefits to over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees. When General Motors filed for bankruptcy during the Great Recession, the U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) assumed responsibility for the terminated benefits but could not pay an individual more than a statutory maximum benefit. Therefore, retirees experienced significant losses to their benefits, affecting 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees, including more than 5,000 retirees in Ohio and 4,000 retirees in Indiana.
“After years of work by workers and retirees in Ohio and Michigan, it’s past time to restore the full benefits of the Delphi Salaried Retirees,” said Sen. Brown. “I’ll keep working with members of both parties and the White House to get results for these retirees.”
SOURCE Brown Senate Newsroom: READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE
DSRA Members Remind Us Why We Keep Fighting!
Thanks to DSRA member Rick Strusienski, who’s part of our Western NY leadership team, his congresswoman — Rep. Claudia Tenney (R) — has taken it upon herself to have her staff produce a compelling 20-minute video in support of the Delphi salaried retirees she represents in Congress. It’s shows how personal engagement with Members of Congress — by determined retirees like Rick and others — can lead to supportive actions taken on Capitol Hill.
Judy Fooks tells her and her late husband’s story of hardship among the retirees in this video who are affected by the lost of their earned Delphi pension.
The heartfelt comments you see expressed in the video by several retirees, and one surviving spouse, remind each of us — regardless of how well we’ve adjusted to having our earned pension benefits unfairly reduced — why we continue fighting to recover what’s been denied to us.
Please do your part to support the efforts of Rep. Tenney and other Members of Congress from both parties who still see a legislative way to restoring our pension plan.
Michael Husar, President
Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN
NRLN Shares Your Disappointment on HCTC, But We Haven’t Given Up
I understand the importance of the Health Coverage Tax Credit to many Delphi Salaried Retirees and our other NRLN members. Yesterday, I responded to an email from Delphi salaried retiree who is facing the dilemma of what to do about health insurance for 2023, as many of you are.
If you are one of the individuals between the ages 55-64 who lost your healthcare benefits in the Delphi bankruptcy and depended on HCTC to reimburse you for a major part of your costly health insurance premiums, the NRLN shares your disappointment and frustration that HCTC was not made permanent, or at least reauthorized, as part of the omnibus bill. However, we haven’t given up on gaining Congressional action on HCTC.
Alyson Parker, our Executive Director and lobbyist in D.C. was told that HCTC was supported well but other tax extender bills were competing to be amended to the omnibus bill and in the end, because they could not resolve the debate no tax extenders were allowed in. Even the popular Child Care Tax Credit did not make it into the bill.
The fact that tax credits were not included, we are hopeful this is good news but not certain that another bill or bills may be available later. We can’t speculate or be certain what will happen. We don’t want to mislead but we think HCTC is not buried yet.
We worked hard with lobbying and Action Alerts to get HCTC to become permanent, or at least reauthorized. In that sense, we always feel we can help make policy but we can’t predict what elected politicians will do.
I want to also note that the NRLN was very disappointed that the Susan Muffley Act was not included in the omnibus bill. We continue to interface with the leadership of Delphi Salaried Retirees Association about the future.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
NRLN Delphi Retirees Chapter
Recently the board of directors of the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association (DSRA) sent an email to its members announcing that the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) has formed a Delphi Retirees Chapter, independent of DSRA, for all Delphi retirees (salaried and hourly).
The DSRA message invited Delphi retirees to join the Chapter by signing up at https://www.nrln.org/email-sign-up, and selecting Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN. Delphi retirees have been signing up daily to join over 700 Delphi retirees who were already receiving NRLN’s emails and supporting its work in Washington, DC to create a better future for retirees.
The Delphi Retirees Chapter is now one of 14 NRLN Chapters. Already posted on the webpage in addition to this welcome message is the NRLN’s Action Alert requesting that members of Congress become cosponsors of H.R.6929/S.3766, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022, which would wholly restore the pensions for Delphi salaried retirees. Also posted is an article on the Delphi Retirees Chapter Members’ Corporate Linage.
The Chapter’s webpage is intended to provide information of interest to Delphi retirees. We request your comments on what you would like to see on the webpage. Send an email with your ideas to contact@nrln.org. Please provide your input on our thoughts and information for:
- A “tombstone” section to post recent retiree deaths.
- Set up “plant/divisional” sub chapters for retirees’ comments.
- Post plant and divisional pictures to enhance the webpage.
- Provide links to retirees Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
If you would like to be part of the Chapter’s leadership team, such as, vice presidents for legislative affairs, membership development, webpage editor or some other role send an email to presdelphichapter@nrln.org.
We believe you will see the value of being a Chapter member and will want to encourage Delphi retirees you know to join the Chapter. There are no Chapter membership dues. A letter will be sent to invite members to make an annual voluntary contribution of $25 or more. Contributions support the Chapter and the NRLN’s work to lobby for legislation to protect retirees’ interests.
One of the NRLN’s lobbying efforts is for the funding of Social Security and Medicare. The Social Security Trustees annual report issued last month stated, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund will only be able to pay scheduled benefits until 2034. At that time, the funds reserves will become depleted and tax income will only be sufficient to pay 77% of the scheduled benefits. The Medicare Trustees reported, the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Medicare Part A) will only be able pay scheduled benefits until 2028. At that time, the fund’s reserve will become depleted and will only be sufficient to pay 90% of scheduled benefits. Medicare Part B (physician services) is adequately financed from general revenues and beneficiary premiums.
We encourage you to regularly visit your Chapter’s webpage and the entire NRLN website at www.nrln.org. One of the important navigation tabs is “Legislative Action Network” where you will find the NRLN’s 2022 Legislative Agenda, White Papers, Executive Summaries and Talking Points on our lobbying issues. Take a few minutes to watch or listen to one or more of our video/podcasts.
Together we can make the Delphi Retirees Chapter an asset for our retirement years.
Mike Husar, President
Delphi Retirees Chapter
Bill Kadereit President
National Retiree Legislative Network
Delphi Retirees Chapter Action Alerts
The 13-year effort by Delphi Salaried Retirees to fully restore their pensions which were harmed in the General Motors bankruptcy took a major step forward Wednesday, July 27, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.6929, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022. The bill passed by a 250-174 vote. (How your Representative voted, see at: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022396?BillNum=H.R.6929 .)
The next step is the U.S. Senate for the Delphi Salaried Retirees’ quest to rectify the injustice when the federal government stepped in and protected GM’s and the Delphi United Auto Workers unions’ pensions, but the well-funded pension plan for Delphi salaried retirees was terminated, taken over by PBGC, and many of the 21,000 Delphi salaried retirees suffered payment reductions of up to 70%.
We want to thank the NRLN members, including members of the recently formed NRLN Delphi Retirees Chapter, who responded to the Monday, July 25, NRLN Action Alert to urge Representatives to vote for the passage of H.R.6929. Congratulations are in order for the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association who have led the effort to gain pension restitution, first in the courts and now in Congress. Your help will be needed again to encourage Senators to either pass H.R.6929 or the Susan Muffley Act of 2022 companion bill S.3766.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
Mike Husar, President
Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN
Bob Martina, Vice President
NRLN Grassroots
Click here to email your letter to urge your Representative to vote for the passage of H.R.6929 https://nrln.org/action-alert/#/home/. Also, call your Representative to say how important it is to restore pensions for Delphi Salaried Retirees. (See calling information in instruction #5 and #6 below.)
It is expected there will be a House vote as early as Wednesday, July 27, on H.R.6929, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022. Passage of the bill would wholly restore the pensions for Delphi Salaried Retirees by making up the difference between the pension benefits earned by Delphi Salaried Retirees and what they received from the PBGC following the GM bankruptcy in 2009.
Representative Dan Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, introduced H.R.6929 on March 3, 2022. He stated in his press release, “If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to retire with dignity. The government rescued GM but left these workers hanging. That’s why what happened to the Delphi Salaried Retirees is such an injustice. These hardworking retirees have waited too long to receive the benefits they earned…”
The Delphi Salaried Retirees Association (DSRA), which the NRLN helped organize, has been relentless in its efforts to fully restore the pensions for 21,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees.
After the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its order on January 18, 2022, that denied the Delphi retirees’ request that the justices hear their case, the DRSA worked to get H.R.6929 introduced in the House and companion bill S.3766 introduced in the Senate. (In November 2021 the NRLN funded and submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging the Justices to hear the Delphi Salaried Retirees’ case that termination of their pension plan followed an illegal process.)
I am asking not only members of the newly formed NRLN Delphi Retirees Chapter, but ALL NRLN members, to take a few minutes to immediately email the NRLN’s letter and call your U.S. Representative to urge him or her to vote for the passage of H.R.6929. (See instruction #5 and #6 below for phone call.) Also, share this message with your family members and sympathetic friends and urge them to email the letter and make the phone call.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
Mike Husar, President
Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN
Bob Martina, Vice President
NRLN Grassroots
You may have responded to the NRLN Action Alert in March that asked NRLN members to write to their U.S. Representative and Senators to urge them to become a cosponsor of H.R.6929/S.3766, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022, which would wholly restore the pensions for Delphi Salaried Retirees by making up the difference between the pension benefits earned by Delphi Salaried Retirees and what they received from the PBGC following the GM bankruptcy in 2009.
Many Delphi Salaried Retirees lost up to 70% of their pensions in the PBGC’s takeover of their pension plan while the federal government stepped in and fully protected General Motor’s and the Delphi unions’ pensions.
In November 2021 the NRLN funded and submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging the Justices to hear the Delphi Salaried Retirees’ case that termination of their pension plan followed an illegal process. The Justices declined to hear the case. On June 28, I sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s senior policy adviser requesting that he discuss with Speaker Pelosi a statement made my Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a recent Congressional hearing about the Delphi Salaried Retirees pension issue. She stated: “So first of all, let me say I know this is an issue that’s been difficult to resolve, around for a long time and that the issues are complicated. [I] Strongly support attempting to find a legislative solution.”
Last month the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association (DSRA) and the NRLN agreed to form the Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN, independent of DSRA, for all Delphi retirees (salaried and hourly). It is the 14th NRLN Chapter.
In this Action Alert, I am requesting that you send the NRLN’s sample letter to President Biden to urge him to take an active role with Congress to restore the pensions for 21,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees. You may wonder, why email a letter to President Biden on this issue?
President Biden was in Cleveland last week to tout using American Rescue Plan money to retroactively restore pensions for two to three million union retirees and workers in Multiemployer pension plans. The President needs to be reminded that in 2020 during his campaign for the presidency, at a stop in Alliance, OH, he said: ”…So, what I am going to do is be working with your Senators to figure out how we can bring in the salaried workers who are really hurt as badly [as the union workers], they deserve a pension.”
To assist your fellow Delphi Salaried Retirees, We are asking that you take a few minutes to send the NRLN’s Action Alert letter to President Biden.
Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network
Mike Husar, President
Delphi Retirees Chapter – NRLN
Bob Martina, Vice President
NRLN Grassroots
Clink here to urge your Representative and Senators to rectify an injustice to Delphi salaried retirees.
https://www.nrln.org/action-alert/#/home/
When the federal government cheated Delphi salaried retirees out of their pensions, members of Congress should have taken action to rectify what happened to retirees.
Such was the case in 2009 during the auto industry meltdown when the federal government task force intervened in the bankruptcies of General Motors and Delphi, (GM’s parts-making divisions that were spun off into a separate company in 1999). The government stepped in and fully protected GM’s and the Delphi unions’ pensions, but the pension plan for Delphi salaried retirees was terminated, taken over by PBGC and 22,000 families suffered payment reductions of up to 70%.
Ironically, the Delphi salaried pension plan was well-funded and did not require termination. Subsequently, the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association (DSRA) sued, with the case ending up on appeal to the Supreme Court last year. You may recall that the NRLN filed an amicus brief, pleading that the appeal be heard. The appeal was denied so now Delphi retirees are seeking help to get Congress to take action.
To assist your fellow Delphi salaried retirees, I am asking that you send the NRLN’s Action Alert letter to your members of Congress to urge them to become a cosponsor of H.R.6929/S.3766, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022, which would wholly restore the pensions for Delphi salaried retirees. This bill would make up the difference between the pension benefits earned by Delphi salaried retirees and what they received following the GM bankruptcy in 2009.
The legislation is named after Susan Muffley who was part of the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association’s (DSRA) core leadership in the effort to restore their pensions. Her husband, David, worked at Delphi as an electronics technician for 31 years, but lost the full value of his pension in 2009. Despite health problems, Susan avoided seeing her doctor given her family’s financial constraints due to losing their pension. She was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away on August 9, 2012.
Delphi Retirees Chapter Members’ Corporate Lineage
Wikipedia serves and as an ancestry family tree for Delphi Retirees Chapter members. Their roots go back to National Cash Register Company (NCR) co-workers Charles Kettering and Edward Deeds. Working in Deeds’ barn in their spare time around 1908 they worked on developing a high-energy spark ignition system.
Formation of Delco
In 1909, Henry Leland of Cadillac ordered 5,000 ignition sets for the 1910 Cadillac and Kettering and Deeds formed the Dayton Engineering Laboratories company (Delco).
In 1911, Kettering invented and patented the first useful electric starter, adapted from a cash register motor. The starters were first installed in the 1912 Cadillacs.
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