AFT President Randi Weingarten was among those who stood near President Joe Biden on Jan. 5 as he signed the Social Security Fairness Act. The law repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, enabling teachers and other public employees to retire with all their Social Security earnings and benefits.
“This law remedies a decades-long problem that prevented many workers in public service from retiring with their full Social Security earnings,” Weingarten wrote in an email sent to members Jan. 6. “So many workers move between the private and public sectors over the course of their careers, and before the repeal of these provisions, the WEP and the GPO penalized these workers on retirement. Now, after years of work by the AFT and many others, fairness has been restored and these penalties have been eliminated.”
She added, “Ensuring workers have a fair and secure retirement demonstrates respect for the people who support our communities. And it’s how we recruit and retain the next generation to help our country thrive. This is a huge victory, years in the making, and it would not have been possible without you.”
