Senator Schumer said it best. The passage of the #SocialSecurityFairnessAct corrects a 50 year mistake, giving teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and thousands of public employees dignity and fairness in retirement. www.cbsnews.com/news/social-... - ThreadSky

rweingarten.bsky.social • 53 days ago

Senator Schumer said it best. The passage of the #SocialSecurityFairnessAct corrects a 50 year mistake, giving teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and thousands of public employees dignity and fairness in retirement. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-fairness-act-biden/

Comments

debi58.bsky.social•53 days ago

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

vhcatlady.bsky.social•53 days ago

https://www.yahoo.com/news/social-security-fairness-act-incredibly-194400028.html

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

This article is not really accurate.

Case in point - I worked full time for over a decade (even while going to college) and earned the requisite quarters while paying into SS. Then I went into teaching for 22 years and retired after paying into mandatory TRS (no SS option).

(continued)

vhcatlady.bsky.social•53 days ago

I agree with you, but SS is not a savings account. It is to ensure that seniors are able to survive after they retire. You have a pension, which is way more than most who have payed into SS for 40+ years.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

Millionaires and billionaires are still allowed to draw their SS - why not public school teachers who had other careers and paid into the system?

I’m not talking about those who didn’t have second careers and never paid in.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

For the record, I understand the concern about the solvency of SS - maybe the solution is increasing the taxes on the highest earners and not penalizing public school teachers who worked in both sectors and paid into both.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

You say “pension” as if it were a generous amount or equal to 401K. It is less than I would be paid if I were getting SS.

My work as a public school teacher was woefully low compared to business world. I struggled as a single mom for years.

I’ve paid into both systems - without a choice.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

I now work full time again and pay into SS -

Since I have met my burden and continue to pay into the system, why can I not receive those benefits?

vhcatlady.bsky.social•53 days ago

Since you receive a pension AND SS, you will receive more retirement benefits than someone who has paid into SS their entire lives and may jeopardize that person from receiving benefits in the future.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

Trust me - my pension is no “windfall” based on teacher’s salary. After 22 years (2021) I was only making $60K. In the business world, that would have been substantially greater given that I was an expert in my field (and I was).

I HAD to pay in for decades - why shouldn’t I get something for it?

timethreading.bsky.social•53 days ago

People with private pensions and/or 401k retirement accounts do not get subjected to having their SS taken from them.

AND, it is only about half the states that this is done. It’s wrong, and was just another way to screw over the 98%.

https://www.fedweek.com/issue-briefs/report-shows-where-social-security-gpo-wep-reductions-hit-the-most/

lombos.bsky.social•53 days ago

People who have private pensions/401K have paid into Social Security while earning that money. This law only affects people who are covered by a government pension that didn't pay into SS on that income.
The SS benefit formula gives a higher % to low-income workers, based on lifetime earnings.

timethreading.bsky.social•52 days ago

No. For 30+ years I worked part/full-time, or stayed home with kid. I paid into SS whenever I earned $$. Typically low paying wages.

I worked 15 years for a state agency. I paid into a pension & paid Medicare taxes. They robbed me of 50% of the small amount of SS I should be getting. I earned it.

kingsbardtx.bsky.social•53 days ago

This only benefits those who have paid into both social security and a government pension (required by profession).

If I paid into TRS (teaching), but never paid into SS, then I don’t get to claim SS.

A lot of us had two careers and had to pay into both - it’s only fair we get to draw on both.

lombos.bsky.social•53 days ago

The formula only looks at your "covered" earnings, so folks in your category can appear to be poor and thus get an automatic boost. It's a complex picture and by just repealing the WEP the end result is still going to favor people with large govt pensions. https://www.progressivepolicy.org/how-to-make-social-security-work-for-government-workers/

bruinali86.bsky.social•53 days ago

Prior to becoming an educator I paid into Social Security starting at age 15 working at a full service gas station. This is long overdue.

truxmintinbox.bsky.social•53 days ago

That’s the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Most likely a large majority of those firefighters and police voted for Trump but Biden will sign it because it’s the right thing to do

candyooo.bsky.social•51 days ago

A life changing legislation for this 30 year rural high school teacher. I can't even tell you...

acgazin.bsky.social•53 days ago

My dad died when I was 15. Because my mother worked in a public library, she got $11 a month in Social Security when she retired thanks to the GPO. I’m so glad of this for anyone in a similar situation.

candyooo.bsky.social•51 days ago

Yes. It is life changing for me, a 30 year retired high school teacher. Life changing.

maze369.bsky.social•53 days ago

Amen! It was the right thing to do.

jasoncooper1187.bsky.social•53 days ago

Don't forget to remind people that this was done by President Biden in the final days of his administration because you KNOW DJT will try to take credit for it later on.