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About The OSEA news. (Salem, Oregon) 1970-1981 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1981)
Page 11 -------- \ February 1981 Staff changes Women left short by social security Although the number of women holding jobs is steadily increasing, there still is a sub stantial bloc of women inad equately covered by Social Security — the homemakers. Homemakers do not receive work credits, although some experts put a value on their functions of perhaps $12,000 a year. Unfortunately, a homemaker whose husband becomes dis abled or retires cannot collect benefits until she becomes 62, unless she is caring for a child who is disabled or under 18. Another source of discrimin ation against women, who may be in and out of the workforce because of fam ily responsibil ities, are rules governing disability benefits. In order to collect these benefits a person must have worked for a total of five years in the ten years before becoming disabled. Without enough credits, a disabled homemaker must w ait to collect until her wage-earning possible options for accom plishing this. One proposal would combine a couple’s earnings and then split the combined credits evenly. Retirement benefits would be based on income earned while single plus half the combined income while married. If one person died, then the other person would inherit a portion of the spouse’s earning credits. Another plan would create a tw o-level benefit system, whereby everyone would be entitled to a flat dollar benefit plus an additional benefit based on average wages. Here, too, if one spouse should die, the other would inherit a share of the partner’s earnings. The Social Security Admin istration is seeking response from the public conerning these proposals. If you have any comments or questions con c e rn in g S o c ia l S e c u rity coverage and benefits, call your local office at the Social Security Administration. "Income generated by a two wage- earner family results In lower benefits than for a family w ith one wage earner." husband retires. Disabled under 50 are not eligible for protection if they worked throughout their lives widows as homemakers and mothers. A homemaker whose wage- earner husband dies before retirement age can find herself in additional trouble. If her children are older than 18 and she is not yet 60, all benefits w ill be stopped. The widow might then be forced into the job market — not a very en viable position for a middle- aged woman with few or no marketable skills. Changes have gradually been made in the system over the years, however. In 1975, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling mandating that benefits be paid equitably to survivors of both men and women. And in further responses to evolving social patterns, the Social Security Act of 1977 reduced the required number of years of marriage from 20 years to 10 for an ex-wife to share fully her husband’s retirement, disability or death benefits. The latest HEW report, de signed to stimulate debate on the subject of Social Security coverage in the hope of improv ing the system, outlined two FOR RENT Short Walking Distance from Capitol Area Two bedroom units, carpeting, range, refrigerator, dish washer, disposal, drapes. Utility room. Adults. No Pets. Bus at comer. $235.00. Call after 5:30 p.m. 362-9885 or 364-1494 RENT FROM A FELLOW STATE EMPLOYE. Is Social Security fair to women? A new government study concludes that it is not. The study, by the Federal Government’s Department of Health, Education and Welfare concludes that women usually get less for their payroll tax dollar from Social Security than men. Although the system has been changed over the years, many basic inequities still exist. Some of these ineq uities result from the changing role of women in the work force. When Social Security was established 40 years ago, the system was based on a model of a male wage earner and a fem ale hom em aker. T h at model is clearly inadequate today, and probably was inad equate when it was established. Today, nearly 42 per cent of the workforce is women, and nearly three times as many married women work now as worked in 1940, when Social S e c u rity f ir s t p ro v id e d benefits. Mendenhall named to state board The base for computing Social Security income is a w orker’s average life tim e earnings. This usually results in men qualifying for higher benefits because of their generally higher wages. Women are disadvantaged in other ways as well. In determining the "prim ary insurance amount,” the Social Security Administration drops the lowest fi\ '■ earning years in a worker’s r t 'ord. .Since many women stop work for more than five years while raising a family, they are unfavorably penalized. Women also can be hurt in that the current system may penalize a two-wage-earner family. When a couple retires (on 80 percent benefits at age 62, full benefits at 65) a spouse (usually the wife) can collect 50 percent of the husband’s bene fits at age 65. If the wife, because of her own earnings is entitled to more than 50 per cent of her husband’s benefits, she gets the larger benefit. But if her earned benefits amount to less than 50 percent of her husband’s benefits, her work credits have the effect of count ing for naught. However, should one spouse retire before the other, the retiree may collect on his or her own work record until the other retires. A decision then must be made about whose work record to use in determin ing benefits payments. The wife who hasn’t worked can collect only when her husband retires. One of the major inequities confronting working couples under Social Security is the situation in which income gen erated by a two-wage-earner fam ily results in ’ower benefits than for a family with one wage-earner. This, even though both total incomes are equal. For example, if only the husband is working and earn ing $1000 a month, the Social Security benefit might amount to $648 a month. On the other hand, if there are two wage- earners in the family making a combined total of $1000 a month, the benefit would come to only $544. The Social Secur ity Administration recognizes the dilemma and corrective measures have been proposed. Chuck Mendenhall has been appointed to the newly created In te g rity Assurance Board. The Board is a forum fo r the in vestigation of com plaints about state governm ent by state employes. Established by the 1979 Legislature, the Board assures that no recourse w ill be taken against anyone appearing before the Board o r tha t gives in fo rm atio n to the Board. Serv ing w ith Mendenhall w ill be Gov. V ic to r Atiyeh, Secretary of State Norm a Paulus, State Attorney General Dave F rohm a yer and Executive Departm ent D ire cto r Robert Smith. Dale: 1981 negotiating team Alice Dale has been named to replace J im Barnes as a m em ber of the OSEA central negotiating team. Barnes resigned in January. Wissmath: Medford business agent June W issmath, who fo r the past three years has served as a business agent in OSEA’s Salem office, has been assigned to the M edford office to replace Tom Gunn. Gunn resigned in December. W issm ath w ill serve as business agent fo r 1-5, the coast south of T illam ook, K la m ath F a lls and Lakeview. Lovell: Salem business agent Diane L o vell is one of OSEA’s new business agents. F or m e rly a business agent w ith ASFM E Council 75, Diane w ill w o rk w ith most of the units tha t were handled by June W issmath, including Highway, D M V , State F a ir, State Lands, W ater Resources, T reasury, M cM in nville/D a llas/O C E , A g ri culture, PUC, W orkers Compensation D epartm ent and OSCI. Lovell is w o rking out of the Salem office. Schrader: Eugene business agent Je ff Schrader is another new business agent w ith OSEA. Schrader fo rm e rly worked as a business agent w ith ASFM E Council 75, and on p o litica l campaigns and as an organizer fo r ASFM E International in Oregon and Illinois. Schrader w ill serve as business agent fo r Eugene, S pringfield, Cottage Grove, Oakridge, U of O, C orvallis, OSU, Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home and Santiam Junction. He is c u rre n tly w orking out of the Salem office. P a rk e r: 1981 lo b b y in g te a m E ric P a rk e r has joined the OSEA s ta ff as a p a rt-tim e lob byist durin g the cu rre n t legislative session. P arke r, who served as the A cting Assistant A d m in istra to r fo r F ield Operations a t the C hildren’s Services D ivisio n fo r fou r years, w ill concentrate his efforts on re tire m e n t issues. Keltner: legal department attorney M a ria K eltner, who fo r the past three years was a fu ll-tim e business agent and then a h a lf-tim e business agent and h a lf tim e attorney, has been assigned fu ll-tim e duties in the OSEA legal departm ent. Crooks: Editor of OSEA News Douglas Crooks is the new editor of the OSEA News. Previously, he worked as m anaging editor of the Journal of Health Science in Eugene and fo r Ralph Nader’s Tax Reform Research Group in Washington, D.C. V_____________ _______________ The B ed and B re a k fa st C o m p a n y NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS For Rooms in Your Area CATCH THAT PEPSI SPIRIT We need rooms to rent on a daily basis as a part of a national and international bed and breakfast program. We will consider applications for residential rooms, independent motels, hotels, and inns as well as condominiums in your area. BEA PEPPER Our Service Offers... A contract with a local certified travel agent to provide reservations, guest screening and payment. Take this opportunity to obtain additional income by making your unused sleeping space available. C om p lete Service For Parties — Picnics — Special Events — Vending For Further Information, Call: “where to call" 503-245-0440 Pepsi-Cola — Dr Pepper Bottling Co. 3011 Silverton Rd., N.E. Salem, Oregon Phone 383-9221 * / B.B. INTERNATIONAL 1318 S.W. Troy Street Portland, Oregon 97219
