State legislators can’t make changes to federal Social Security penalties, but they can send a strong message to Congress about the importance of repealing WEP/GPO. The state legislature is considering a joint resolution to memorialize Congress to repeal WEP/GPO, and active and retired educators told members of the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee yesterday why the resolution is so necessary.
“I represent over 40,000 active, aspiring, and retired teachers,” CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey told the committee. “We’re all impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. This is a critical issue for our state. Even though you can’t make the federal changes, an endorsement of a repeal would go so far. Your constituents would feel so supported and they would feel heard. We have never been closer in Congress to a full repeal of WEP/GPO than we are today. We’re just a few co-sponsors away in the Senate from making this bill a reality, and I think that we could do this if you would support this resolution.”
“I am fully aware that passing this resolution would not force Congress to repeal WEP/GPO,” said Kristen Basiaga, president of the Glastonbury Education Association. “But I want the State of Connecticut to take a stand for teachers like me, remove penalties for second-career educators, and put pressure on Congress to fully repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provisions.”
Basiaga polled her over five hundred members and found that, among the more than 70% who had Social Security earnings:
- 72% had a career before teaching
- 43% work part time while teaching
- 15% have part time work year round
- 48% pick up extra jobs in the summer
“When we go to retire, the Windfall Elimination Provision will reduce or eliminate our personal earned benefits,” Basiaga said. “Not only that, but more than 65% of our spouses have Social Security earnings that we will be not able to collect. Again, our survivorship benefits will be reduced or eliminated by the Government Pension Offset.”
In written testimony to legislators, CREC teacher Ammie Rivera explained that she worked for over 15 years in the private sector before becoming a teacher.
“During my first career, I saved aggressively for retirement while considering my eligibility for Social Security. Now, as an educator, I fear my retirement will be significantly impacted due to my career change, in part due the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, as well as a reduction in my rate of contribution to retirement savings based on a significantly lower salary. Additionally, I am paying toward student loans for the required teacher master’s degree, which yields me a lower salary compared to similarly educated peers,” Rivera said.
Fairfield teacher Rachel Keleher took time away from teaching to raise her children when they were young, which allowed her ex-husband to continue to work and build his career while continuing to contribute to his pension and Social Security benefits. Because of her time out of the classroom, Keleher’s pension benefits will be reduced, yet she’ll also see her Social Security benefits and spousal benefit reduced because of WEP/GPO.
“Connecticut is the sixth most expensive state to live in, and my reduced benefits make it increasingly difficult to afford to retire here as the cost of living and inflation continue to increase,” she told legislators. “I have worked multiple jobs on top of being a full-time educator to try and make up for the expected deficit, which is both physically and emotionally exhausting. I have worked in a commercial kitchen in the evenings, taught the ARC program on weekends, and been the family and consumer science liaison for the town of Fairfield. The pay for these positions has not made a substantive difference given the level of effort (working nights and weekends).”
She continued, “Society benefits from my hard work raising my children and teaching future generations of children but punishes me for doing this work. Being able to access my spousal benefits would allow me to retire in the state in which I have lived for 30 years, a state where I have raised my children, grown friendships, made lasting memories, and given over 20 years of dedicated service to educating children. Eliminating the GPO would not bring some great windfall; it would be the difference between living paycheck to paycheck and having a small cushion to protect myself from unknown maintenance that comes with owning a small home in addition to unforeseen healthcare costs.”
Preston teacher Susan Strader came to teaching later in life, after working in a corporate job and staying home to raise her children. “As a ‘career changer’ I unknowingly forfeited my full contributed Social Security benefit and I will never be able to realize a full Connecticut teaching pension benefit either due to my age and time in position,” she said. “I will also not be eligible for my husband’s full Social Security benefit if he predeceases me. I will, however, qualify and apply for Huskie D for health care coverage upon my retirement. A person with two master’s degrees and two Connecticut teaching certifications will need to be on Medicaid for one year upon retirement. The reality of that is shocking, frustrating, and demoralizing.”
Many speakers highlighted that WEP/GPO is a barrier to recruiting career changers in particular into the teaching profession, but it’s also a retention issue.
“I live in Stamford, and we’re right on the border with New York,” DeLancey said. “Salaries in Westchester are at least $20,000 more for teachers. Not only that, but they also are able to collect both a pension and Social Security. One of my closest friends just left a job in lower Fairfield County for Port Chester because he’s nine years in and he said, ‘Wow. I don’t want to be subject to the penalties, and I can earn a pension and Social Security in New York state.”
“This is such an important issue,” CEA President Kate Dias told legislators. “I really ask all of you to support this resolution. Join our fight to repeal these penalties to acknowledge the fact that we are not treating people fairly and equitably. If I had any other type of pension other than a municipal pension I would not be facing the loss of—not only my own Social Security, that I have paid into since I was 15—but also my husband’s.”
“With the nationwide teacher, police, and other personnel shortages facing our nation, legislators should be working on a bipartisan basis to fix the issue today, not days/weeks/months, or years in the future,” Strader said. “We have waited long enough.”
Learn more about how WEP/GPO impacts your retirement, and show your support for repeal with a Repeal the Steal T-shirt.
