Press Releases
Teamster Retirees Rally at U.S. Capitol to Protect Pensions
(WASHINGTON) – Thousands of Teamster retirees from across the country joined together at a rally at the U.S. Capitol today to protest the proposed cuts to their pensions by the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund (CSPF). The retirees received pledges of support from more than a dozen members of Congress in their fight to protect their hard-earned pension benefits. View photos from the rally, here.
CSPF filed an application for cuts to the Treasury Department in September 2015 as allowed under the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA). Treasury appointee Ken Feinberg has until May 7 to approve or reject the application for benefit reductions. The cuts will devastate the lives of thousands of retirees who worked for years to earn pensions that could be cut as much as 60 percent under the CSPF plan.
“These cuts must not be approved,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “You worked hard every day, year after year for the promise of a secure retirement. That was the deal. Now Central States wants to slash your pensions by up to 60 percent? Not on my watch. We will use every resource available to our union to stop these cuts!”
Rita Lewis, widow of retired Local 100 president Butch Lewis, spoke passionately about her husband’s commitment to stopping the CSPF cuts before his death and called for Congress to put aside party differences to help the thousands of retirees at risk.
“I would like a bipartisan, permanent solution to solve this pension crisis, for the Teamsters and all union members that have worked for years to earn their pension,” Lewis said. “A promise is a promise is a promise.”
Members of Congress turned out to throw support behind the retirees’ fight against the cuts. In February, a bipartisan collection of 90 House members signed onto a letter sent to the Treasury asking it to reject Central States application. And 25 senators, both Republicans and Democrats, did the same in a separate letter.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.
Full list of speakers:
Rep. Gwen Moore, (D-WI)
Sen. Al Franken, (D-MN)
Chandler Goule, Senior Vice President, National Farmers Union
Rep. Debbie Dingell, (D-MI)
Karen Friedman, Exec. VP, Pension Rights Center
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Sen. Rob Portman, (R-OH)
Rep. Tim Ryan, (D-OH)
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)
James Conigliaro, General Vice President, IAM
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA)
Jeff Cruz, Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT)
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, (D-OH)
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, (D-WI)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN)
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Bob Amsden (Butch Lewis piece)
Rita Lewis, widow of retiree Butch Lewis
Jim Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters