Senate Passes Social Security Fairness Act, Securing Economic Justice for Postal, Federal, and Public-Sector Retirees

Last night, the Senate voted 76-20 to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, righting a decades-old wrong, and winning economic justice for postal, federal, and public-sector retirees by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).  “No longer will public retirees see their hard-earned Social Security benefits robbed from them thanks to this bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Schumer. “It’s a very good thing that one of the final acts of the 118th Congress is delivering a huge win for working Americans.” 

For years, APWU members have been fighting to repeal these decades old Social Security laws that unfairly penalized postal and federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees despite meeting the requirements for Social Security benefits and paying their fair share into the program.  

Getting the bill to final passage was no easy feat. To move the bill forward in the House, cosponsors of the bill, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) held a press conference on Sept. 19 with several public-sector union leaders, including APWU President Mark Dimondstein, to rally support for a discharge petition that could force a vote on the House floor. APWU members around the country jumped into action and contacted their representatives urging them to sign the petition. Our efforts were successful, and the bill moved to the House floor for a vote.  

When the date of vote was announced, APWU members mobilized once again to call their representatives to urge them to vote “yes!” A coalition of public-sector retirees from the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force, including Retirees Department Director Nancy Olumekor and APWU retiree members, made their way to Capitol Hill to speak to congressional staffers, hand out informational fliers, and ask representatives for their support. It passed the House that night by an overwhelming majority of 327-75. 

On December 11, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stood alongside labor leaders and union members in the pouring rain, rallying outside the Capitol, and pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, a commitment he saw through.  

Thanks to the hard work of the APWU leadership, members, and our coalition, the legislation passed in both the House and Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act will become law once signed by the president. 

“I, along with many other retirees, have been cheated out of our hard-earned social security benefits for decades,” said APWU retiree Joyce Debnam. “Congress has finally repealed the unjust WEP/GPO provisions!  Social Security Fairness would not have been possible without the work of a dedicated coalition of APWU retirees and active members who worked hand in hand with members of Congress and other affected labor unions.  I want to sincerely thank the tireless advocacy of the APWU leadership – President Dimondstein, Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard, and Retiree Director Nancy Olumekor who made this issue a legislative priority for so many years and never wavered in their support.” 

“This bipartisan effort shows that we can right the wrongs of the past when we stand together as working people,” stated APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “I’m proud of the actions our members took to encourage legislators to move this bill forward.”  

“We simply could not have achieved this level of bipartisan support without the continued activism of our members,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard. “Your stories made national headlines and allowed us to put pressure on Congressional leaders to finally correct this decades-long injustice. When we fight together, we win!”