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Republicans Introduce Dangerous Pension Bill Next week the House may take up a pension bill (H.R. 2830) crafted by House GOP leaders and the Bush administration. This dangerous legislation could force GM, Ford, DCX and other companies to freeze all pension credits and/or prohibit any further benefit improvements. If pension credits are frozen, this means no workers would be able to earn any more credits. For example, a worker with 15 years of credited service would be frozen at that amount of service, no matter how much longer they worked. Similarly, a worker with 29 years of service would be frozen at that level of service, and would never be able to qualify for a 30-and-out pension, no matter how much longer they worked. If benefit improvements are prohibited, this means the UAW could not even negotiate to update benefit levels to keep pace with inflation. This would be true both for active workers and for retirees. This awful pension bill would also outlaw special early retirement benefits that are triggered when there is a plant closing. This would eliminate one of the most important mechanisms for cushioning the impact of plant closings on workers. This terrible pension legislation represents an enormous attack on the pensions of active and retired UAW members and tens of thousands of other workers employed at major manufacturing companies throughout the United States. It is an attempt by the Bush administration and House GOP leaders to undermine negotiated defined benefit pension plans. At the same time that House GOP leaders are attacking the pensions of rank-and-file workers and retirees, they have not done anything to the lucrative pensions earned by Members of Congress. Despite the huge federal deficits, Members of Congress would continue to have their pension credits and benefits increase automatically every year. UAW members at GM, Ford, DCX and other companies need to ACT NOW TO PROTECT THEIR PENSION BENEFITS AND TO PROTEST AGAINST THIS DOUBLE STANDARD! UAW members can call their Representative toll free at 1-888-355-3588. The message to Representatives is simple. We want them to vote against the dangerous pension bill (H.R. 2830), that would freeze pension credits and benefits and eliminate plant closing benefits for American autoworkers and other industrial workers. Congress ought to be protecting pension benefits for American workers, not freezing pension credits and benefits, or outlawing plant closing benefits! It’s wrong for Congress to freeze pension credits and benefits for rank-and-file workers, while lucrative pensions for Members of Congress are continuing to increase automatically every year!
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