Local retirees taking pension concerns to Washington
A
retired Teamster has helped organize a trip to lobby Congress to repeal
part of a 2014 budget provision that would allow multiemployer pension
plans to cut monthly pension benefits to retirees.
Local retirees who get pensions from the Central States Pension Fund will travel to Washington this week.
Brad
Colesworthy, of Cramerton, has helped organize the trip in an effort to
lobby Congress to repeal part of a 2014 budget provision that would
allow multiemployer pension plans that are in danger of running out of
money to cut monthly pension benefits to retirees.
Colesworthy
hopes to take two van loads of retirees to the nation’s capital late
Wednesday night and return to Gaston County on Thursday night.
On
Thursday, Colesworthy says Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic
candidate for president, will introduce legislation to repeal the
provision.
Multiemployer pension plans were negotiated by
employers and unions. Usually, those employers were part of the same
industry, such as trucking or hospitality workers.
Colesworthy,
who turns 75 in July, was a Teamsters Union member during his truck
driving career, which ended in 2003 after Consolidated Freightways
closed in Charlotte.
Local Teamsters held a meeting in Belmont
last month over the issue that attracted more than 150 people,
Colesworthy said. The issue could affect hundreds of thousands of
retirees across the nation.
Congress passed the provision in
December 2014 as part of a budget bill to prevent a government shutdown.
Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, who represents Gaston and Cleveland
counties in the 10th U.S. House District, voted for the measure in order
to avoid a government shutdown, according to a release from his office.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin
RSVP for event announcing the Introduction of the Keep Our Pension Promises Act
If
you can attend the event announcing the introduction of the Keep Our
Pension Promises Act in Washington, DC on June 18 at 11 AM, please
complete the form below.
Note: The event may be held outdoors. If the press conference is held inside the U.S. Capitol building, we will need to provide your name to allow you access to the building. We’ll keep you updated about the event as details are finalized.
While you're in Washington, DC, you might want to arrange meetings with your members of Congress to encourage them to support the Keep Our Pension Promises Act.
Note: The event may be held outdoors. If the press conference is held inside the U.S. Capitol building, we will need to provide your name to allow you access to the building. We’ll keep you updated about the event as details are finalized.
While you're in Washington, DC, you might want to arrange meetings with your members of Congress to encourage them to support the Keep Our Pension Promises Act.
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See more at: http://www.pensionrights.org/forms/rsvp-event-announcing-introduction-keep-our-pension-promises-act#sthash.sMMThHhc.dpuf
HEY DOUGY MCCARRON AND SEAN MCGREEDY
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR NOT TRYING TO STEAL THE HOMES OF SENIORS AND STEAL THE PENSIONS OF RETIREES