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PAGE 6 | May 19, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Workers rally to back national pension legislation By Barb Kucera Press Associates Inc. Millions of Americans who de- pend on multi-employer pen- sion plans for their retirement security would benefit from fed- eral legislation introduced May 9 to make sure their pension is there when they need it. The new bill would attempt to restore the financial health of multi-employer pension plans — which are common in indus- tries such as trucking, grocery, and entertainment. The bill’s original author, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who also introduced it in the last Congress — said it could save the pensions of up to 10 million workers the multi-employer plans cover. “We have got to send a very loud and clear message to the Republican leadership in Con- gress and the president of the United States. When a promise is made to the working people of this country with respect to their pensions and retiree health benefits, that promise cannot be broken,” Sanders said. “If Con- gress could bail out Wall Street and foreign banks throughout the world, we certainly can pro- tect the pension benefits of American workers.” To show support for the measure, members of Min- nesota Pension Rights and of the Teamsters — whose multi-em- ployer Central States Pension Fund faces insolvency — organ- ized a rally at the state Capitol in St. Paul. It coincided with similar events nationwide and a D.C. news conference with Sanders, Sen. Al Franken (D- Minn.), and Machinists Presi- dent Bob Martinez that unveiled the Keep Our Pension Promises Act of 2017. Franken knows what it is like to be in a multi-employer pen- sion plan, having been a mem- ber of the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA unions during his career in entertainment. “These agreements should mean something,” Franken said. “That’s all we’re talking about here — live up to your agree- ment … If you care about the working men and women of this country, then you will want them to have secure retirements, and that means honoring their pensions.” “Too many Americans have already had their earned retire- ments ripped away from them through no fault of their own. Where I’m from in Texas, we call that highway robbery,” Martinez told the D.C. news conference. Besides the Americans cov- ered by multi-employer pension “If Congress could bail out Wall Street and for- eign banks throughout the world, we certainly can protect the pension benefits of American workers.” — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) plans, 30 million more are in single-employer pensions. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Cor- poration (PBGC) oversees and insures both. In 2014, Congress changed the rules, allowing struggling pension plans to cut workers’ promised benefits now, with ap- proval from the U.S. Treasury Department, to keep the plans solvent later. Some of the 400,000 workers and retirees covered by the Teamsters Cen- tral States Pension Fund faced cuts of 50 percent or more. Treasury rejected the planned Central States cuts. Retirees de- pending on that plan have been spared — for now. But the long- term future of the Teamsters’ benefits remains in doubt. Treasury has also rejected sev- eral other multi-employer plans that wanted to cut present bene- fits to preserve future solvency. It called their proposals inade- quate. But it approved cutting the pensions for beneficiaries of Iron Workers Local 17 in Cleve- land. Two-thirds of voters there agreed to cut their present bene- fits in order to keep the plan sol- vent beyond 2024. The plan covers 1,938 people, and just under half voted, the union said. [Treasury is currently review- ing a proposal submitted by the Western States Pension Plan of Office and Professional Em- ployees, which would impact Vancouver-based Local 11.] The Keep Our Pension Prom- ises Act would boost funding for the PBGC so it can keep the promises made to pensioners, by closing two tax loopholes used by the wealthiest Ameri- cans. It is currently the only leg- islative solution to the multi-em- ployer pension crisis, Franken’s office said. Participants at the rally in St. Paul welcomed the federal leg- islation. U.S. Reps. Keith Elli- son, Rick Nolan and Tim Walz, all Minnesota Democrats, joined them. “It’s something you negoti- ated on in good faith, with the assumption and the belief that it would be there when you needed it,” Walz, a union teacher, said. “Keep in mind — that bailout that happened on Wall Street put the pressure on these pensions. While we were there as taxpayers to ensure our financial system was supported, we need to be there to make sure our workers are supported.” Ellison urged people to keep up the heat, saying action “will send a signal throughout Min- nesota and the United States that you cannot mess around with people’s pensions that they have worked for their whole life.” Nolan said the threat to worker pensions is yet another example of “a system that is rigged to help the few at the ex- pense of the many. It calls and begs and demands for change!” The three, along with Rep. Betty McCollum and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats from Minnesota, who could not attend the rally, pledged their support for the Keep Our Pen- sion Promises Act. Other back- ers include Sens. Claire Mc- Caskill (D-Mo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Tim Ryan, both D- Ohio, and Debbie Dingell (D- Mich.), and both Democratic U.S. Senators from Michigan and Rhode Island. “A secure retirement is a cen- tral pillar of economic security for our working class. The Keep Our Pensions Promise Act ends a loophole and tax break for the wealthy so we can protect the retirement security families have worked for, planned for and depend on,” Baldwin said. Who’s on our side? By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President Investing in transportation benefits working people E very day another 80 people move to the Portland metro area. Oregon’s population has grown by over 275,000 in the last six years. Whether you live in Bend, Medford, Eugene or Portland, our roads are approaching capacity. A 15 minute daily commute in 2012 is now 20 to 30 minutes — and growing longer. In Portland, the I-5 curves, 217, I- 205 and I-5 at the Coliseum are major traffic choke points — not to mention the 100-year-old I-5 Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver that can back up traffic for miles. Any disruption or accident or construction can easily double commute time. Not only are our roads at near capacity, they are in disrepair due to lack of maintenance and increased use by a ballooning population. Tire-pounding pot holes not only dot our side streets, but are now invading main thoroughfares, highways and inter- state routes. Thirty-four percent of Clackamas County roads are rated at poor or worse. The average lifespan of an asphalt road is 26 years. Ongoing maintenance can al- most double their lifetime, but we must invest in that main- tenance to get the most out of our roads. Damaged roads mean damaged vehicles, which is driv- ing up costs for working people just trying to get to their jobs each day. Congested roads mean that businesses are spending more on fuel and drivetime, which can increase the cost of the goods we buy at grocery stores. That’s mov- ing our economy in the wrong direction, and it’s time to take action. After a failed attempt at increasing transportation fund- ing during the 2015 Oregon Legislature, two Democrats and two Republican leaders (Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Eugene; Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay; Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas; and Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario) have brought forth a transportation package that will invest $8.2 billion into Oregon’s transportation infrastructure over the next decade. Our lawmakers spent over a year developing this bipartisan plan. They traveled across the state listening to the concerns of Oregonians who spoke up about unsafe road conditions, the need for public transit expansion, and concerns over ever-increasing commute times. In both ru- ral and urban communities across the state, it’s clear there is work to do — and that work will help move our econ- omy forward. Proposed projects are outlined for almost every Oregon county. That means across the state, over the next 10 years, we have a real opportunity to create jobs, ease compressive choke points, and improve transportation infrastructure. Unless our Legislature takes action, transportation choke points in the Portland metro area will continue to drive up costs for farmers, manufacturers, and businesses across Ore- gon. Unless the transportation package is approved during this legislative session, the increased commute times, which impact both workers and businesses, will only get worse. Oregon’s union movement can step into the driver’s seat to make sure this important proposal makes it through our Legislature. Whether you are in Klamath Falls, Ontario, Astoria or Portland, our legislators need to hear from union members who are ready to see real investment in Oregon’s transportation infrastructure. Call your legislator, send them an email, or schedule a meeting and tell them that transportation funding is im- portant to you and your community. To find out who rep- resents you and how to contact them, head to oraflcio.org/salem. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, a 130,000-member- strong federation of labor unions.
