Giant Rally for Pension Protection
Some 10,000 union members, led by mine workers, Teamster retirees, and pension advocates rally in Columbus to urge passage of the Butch Lewis Act to protect hard-earned pensions. Speakers are calling on Congress to “do the right thing” to safeguard pensions for millions who did honest work, earned a pension, and could lose it due to no fault of their own.
Read moreSave Our Pensions Rally July 12 in Columbus, Ohio
Car caravans and busloads of active and retired Teamsters, Mineworkers and a range of allies will converge on Columbus, Ohio for a rally Thursday, July 12. Thousands are being mobilized by the pension action committees of the National United Committee to Protect Pensions.
Read moreCongressional Report on Central States: Retirees Need Help
The long-awaited Congressional Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the Central States Pension Fund is out, and provides detailed background facts which support what TDU and the pension protection movement are saying.
Read moreCentral States to Host Conference Call Wednesday
Central States participants – both retirees and active Teamsters – have been invited to a conference call – Voices for Pension Security – to be held Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 pm Eastern, 6:30 pm Central, and 5:30 pm Mountain. The call-in number is 877-229-8493 and the access code is 114828.
Read moreCentral States Fund Ended 2017 with $15.0 Billion
The year-end Central States Pension Fund financial report has been obtained by Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), and shows that the Fund ended 2017 with $15.0 billion in assets. This is down from $15.27 billion one year earlier; the loss of $267 million during 2017 was modest, due to the run-up in the stock market.
Read more“GROW” Act: A Threat to Workers’ Pensions
A new threat to retirees and workers’ pensions was introduced in Congress last month: the misnamed “Give Retirement Options to Workers” Act. It does not give options to workers, but it could shift risk and uncertainty to some workers, and undermine stable pensions.
Read moreCentral States Fund Quarterly Report: $15.1 Billion
The financial report obtained by Teamsters for a Democratic Union for the Central States Pension Fund indicates that the fund had $15.1 billion in assets as of September 30, 2017. This is down from $15.3 billion at the start of 2017.
Read moreBudget Bill May Include Provision for a Bi-Partisan Committee on Pension Crisis
The Senate version of the budget bill has a provision to establish a House-Senate Joint Select Committee to propose a solution to the pension crisis for consideration by Congress in December. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) who has been a strong supporter of the pension protection movement, announced it was the best he could do.
Read moreFight to Save Pensions Provides Important Lessons
Over the past four years, thousands of retired and active Teamsters have waged the battle to secure their retirement security. For most who got involved in the campaign, it started with the direct threat to their livelihood but morphed into a can-do attitude. As Teamsters, they knew they had to fight to have any chance of protecting the pension benefits that had already been earned. As Butch Lewis once said, “A promise, is a promise, is a promise.”
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