John,

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) threaten the Social Security benefits of millions of retired teachers and public employees. Together, these two provisions unfairly penalize retirees in states across the country and in Puerto Rico who have spent careers in public service but also have paid into Social Security at other points in their careers. While these provisions do not impact every retiree in every state, the people they do impact feel real economic pain. The GPO denies survivor benefits to retired public service workers whose spouses paid into Social Security. Both penalties disproportionately affect low-income retirees, and the GPO targets women five times as often as men.

That is why Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), have introduced the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, which would repeal the WEP and GPO once and for all.

On Friday, June 7, Sen. Brown is holding a hearing on the impacts of the WEP and GPO provisions. It’s vitally important to tell lawmakers the GPO and WEP must be repealed. We’re asking you to submit your comments and stories about how WEP and GPO affect you and your retirement for the Congressional Record.

To submit your comments, write your story as a single-spaced Microsoft Word document, attach it to an email and send to [email protected]. Submissions should include your full name, address and the hearing title, “Keeping the Promise of Social Security for Ohio’s First Responders and Public Servants.”

Congress has the ability to reverse the WEP and GPO, provisions that make everyday life less secure for millions of retired teachers and public employees across the country. Repealing WEP and GPO is a real solution the AFT is fighting for to make life better for retirees. By sharing our stories, we will show lawmakers how important the repeal of WEP and GPO are to helping our communities thrive.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President