The US Senate recently passed the Social Security Fairness Act SSFA, which will expand Social Security benefits to millions of public-sector workers, such as teachers, police officers, and firefighters. The bill is now heading to President Joe Biden for his approval.
This new bill will reverse two policies that have reduced Social Security benefits for public workers who also receive pensions from other government jobs.
The first policy, called the Windfall Elimination Provision WEP, cuts benefits for workers with fewer than 30 years of Social Security-covered employment if they also receive a pension from a job not covered by Social Security.
The second policy, the Government Pension Offset GPO, reduces the spousal benefits for people receiving pensions from non-Social Security jobs.
These policies have affected many public workers’ retirement earnings for years. The SSFA passed in the Senate with a vote of 76-20, after the House passed it last month with a wide bipartisan margin of 327-75.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, celebrated the bill, saying it brings justice to public workers who had their retirement benefits unfairly reduced. She emphasized that the bill had strong support from both political parties because it’s about fairness, and she hopes President Biden will sign it soon.
The Connecticut Education Association CEA also worked hard for the bill’s passage. CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey said the repeal of these penalties wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of unions and a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
CEA President Kate Dias added that the SSFA will help teachers and other public workers retire with better benefits and attract new people into teaching, especially those seeking a second career. She also noted that the WEP and GPO penalties discouraged many potential teachers from switching careers.
While some critics argue that the SSFA could negatively impact Social Security’s funding, CEA President Dias countered that public workers are only asking for the same benefits they’ve paid into and that it’s unfair to use them to balance Social Security’s budget for a few extra months.
Looking ahead, Dias said that the CEA’s next goal is to help protect Social Security and ensure it remains fully funded, particularly through Congressman John Larson’s Social Security 2100 Act. At the state level, the CEA will focus on improving teacher salaries and addressing challenges in the teaching profession, such as special education and workforce diversity.