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Recently, at a meet and greet in Fargo, I had the pleasure of meeting a retired UPS worker and a proud Teamster from North Dakota.
He worked for UPS for over 30 years, dedicating his life to a job that promised security in retirement. But in 2015, he received a letter informing him that his pension would be cut by half, thanks to the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014, covertly inserted into the $1.1 trillion Omnibus Legislation passed in December 2014 to avoid a government shutdown.
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Imagine working your whole life, believing in the promise of a secure retirement, only to discover that half of your expected pension is gone. That’s not just a financial blow; it’s a betrayal of trust. He, like many others, would not take this sitting down. He joined forces with his fellow Teamsters in a grassroots campaign to fight this injustice.
First, they stopped by their Republican Senator’s office, only to be told they should be grateful for the cuts, as it was supposedly only five percent. But he and his peers were armed with letters that showed cuts of forty, fifty, and even sixty percent. The politicians, caught either in falsehoods or completely unaware, quickly pointed fingers at lobbyists who misled them.
This encounter reminded me of the stakes we face in protecting our pensions. It’s not just about numbers on a balance sheet, it’s about the dignity and security of our retired workers. My own father’s defined-benefit pension allows our family to afford his apartment in an assisted living facility in Velva, North Dakota, and I know firsthand how crucial these benefits are.
The Multiemployer Pension Reform Act was a backdoor attack on workers’ rights, hidden in a last-minute, must-pass bill, devoid of debate and transparency. If you want to attack unions, you go after pensions. If you go after pensions, you pull the rug out from under working Americans. Underhanded legislation like the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act highlights the need for politicians who are proactive in defending the needs of regular people.
The story also shows what can happen when regular folks like this man and his fellow workers refuse to sit back and accept their fate. They mobilized, they fought, and they forced the federal government to back down. Their victory is a testament to the power of collective action. They showed us all that we can stand up against injustices, no matter how powerful the opponents.
But the fight isn’t over. We still need strong unions to push back against such attacks and legislation like the PRO Act to protect workers’ rights and ensure that we safeguard our pensions. More importantly, we need politicians who are committed to the well-being of their constituents, not the interests of lobbyists and corporations.
As we continue this fight, I urge you to join us in supporting candidates who will stand up for our rights. Your donations can help us build a campaign that represents the true interests of working people. Together, we can ensure that stories like these don’t happen and that no retiree faces the uncertainty and fear of losing their hard-earned benefits.
Let’s fight for a future where every worker can retire with dignity. Join us in this fight. Please donate to our campaign today and help us bring real change to Congress.
With the U.S. House seat open, the race for North Dakota’s sole congressional district has never been more competitive.
Trygve Hammer is a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, a former public school teacher, and a freight rail conductor. He was appointed to the Naval Academy from the fleet and served as a Marine helicopter pilot, forward air controller, and infantry officer.
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From bunking down in oilfield camps to engaging uninterested teenagers in the classroom, Trygve’s career has been a tour of duty in the trenches of American life. Trygve’s commitment to public service is unwavering. He lives by the ethos “Officers Eat Last” and is ready to serve as North Dakota’s next Congressman, putting the people's needs first.
Watch Trygve’s campaign launch video here.
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