On Friday Dec. 20, the Senate voted 76-20 to pass The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), 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). Passing H.R. 82 was the main legislative goal of the APWU in 2024.  “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.”

This last act of business for the118th Senate followed a similarly strong bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives when the H.R. 82 passed 327-75, and it is fully expected that President Joe Biden will sign the Bill into law.

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 by severely reducing their earned Social Security Benefits for recipients and surviving spouses despite meeting the requirements for Social Security benefits and paying their fair share into the program.

This fall, during the 2024 Congressional Session, the APWU was able to help push the legislation over the finish line with our activism, strong advocates from both parties on Capitol Hill, and a powerful coalition of union allies united in solidarity, from postal workers to other federal workers, from firefighters to teachers.

 “While the passage of HR 82 does not retroactively restore what our Civil Service retirees were deprived, it gains real justice going forward and is a tremendous victory, declared APWU president Mark Dimondstein. “I want to thank the key cosponsors of the Bill, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) on the House side and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on the Senate side for their principled stand and determination. I salute the activism of our members, especially our retirees, who made the phone calls, rallied, met with elected officials, spoke to the media, and helped ensure that every hurdle was overcome to finally get this long-sought legislation over the finish line.”

Getting the bill to the Senate was no easy feat. To move the bill forward in the House, cosponsors of the bill, Rep. Graves and Rep. Spanberger 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 the House 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.

H.R. 82 then moved to the Senate for consideration. One week before the vote, labor leaders and union members rallied in the pouring rain outside the Capitol, advocating for passage prior to the end of the Congressional session.

Majority Senate leader Chuck Schumer joined the rally and pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, which he did.

Leading up to the vote to repeal WEP and GPO, Chuck Schumer reiterated, “It is deeply unfair. It goes against the American ideal of working hard, chipping in, and enjoying a well-earned retirement.”

“…we have been debating this inequity in the Social Security System for decades,” said Maine Senator Susan Collins. “In 2003, I held the very first Senate hearing on this policy. It is now time for the Senate to finally pass this legislation so that it can become law.”

“It is about hard work paying off. It is about what workers earn. It is about honoring the dignity of work,” said Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. “If you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work.

“I, along with many other retirees, have been cheated out of our hard-earned social security benefits for decades,” said Nation’s Capital Southern Maryland Area Local Retiree Chapter member Joyce Debnam. “Congress has finally repealed the unjust WEP/GPO provisions!  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.”

“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!”