Congress approves repeal of Social Security offsets; Union activism ends WEP-GPO

An injustice robbing public employees of hard-earned retirement benefits for the past 40 years has been corrected. President Joe Biden has signed into law a full repeal of the federal WEP-GPO laws. This victory came in part through the efforts of MTA and NEA members, who called and visited their elected representatives to encourage them to vote for a repeal that will enable them to retire with the Social Security they rightfully earned.

Following an early-morning approval by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 21, the repeal legislation was delivered to President Biden, who signed it on Monday, Jan. 6. The U.S. House had earlier approved the repeal. The Social Security Administration now will determine how to implement the measure. The agency has created a site on its home page for people to obtain updates: Social Security Fairness Act: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) update | SSA.

Email Senators Markey & Warren

About GPO/WEP

Massachusetts public employees do not participate in Social Security, but some public employees may be eligible for benefits through other employment or their spouses. However, two federal laws, the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, can significantly reduce the personal or spousal/survivor Social Security benefits of certain retired Massachusetts educators simply because they also receive a public sector pension. These are deeply unjust laws that unfairly punish public employees who have paid into Social Security themselves or whose spouses have contributed to the system. It is essential to the economic security of current and future retirees that GPO and WEP are finally addressed, which is why the MTA is urging passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. This legislation would fully repeal both provisions and ensure that retired educators receive the benefits that are owed to them.

Sen. Ed Markey makes a powerful case for the Social Security Fairness Act

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) calls on the Senate to pass the #SocialSecurityFairnessAct and restore earned Social Security benefits for teachers, firefighters and public servants of all stripes “We have an opportunity to finally see this repeal through to conclusion," said Markey, speaking from the Senate floor on Thursday, Dec. 5.