IFPTE Attends White House Signing Ceremony for the Social Security Fairness Act
(l-r) Brian Kildee, Faraz Khan, and President Biggs
Legislative director Faraz Khan, assistant to the executive officers Brian Kildee, and president Matt Biggs joined fellow labor unionists, President Biden, Labor Secretary Julie Su, and Congressional lawmakers at the White House on Sunday for a bill signing ceremony for the Social Security Fairness Act.
The bill, which has been a decades-long legislative priority for IFPTE and most other unions representing the public sector, finally does away with the four decades-long loophole that penalizes the Social Security earnings of 2.5 million current and future retirees and/or their spouses who worked as state, local or federal employees.
IFPTE legislative director Faraz Khan, who worked with several IFPTE Locals in pushing this bill across the finish line, commented: “IFPTE not only applauds and thanks President Biden for signing this bill into law, we also thank the bipartisan sponsors of the legislation, Senator Susan Collins (R, ME) and former Senator Sherrod Brown (D, OH), and former Representatives Abigale Spanberger (D, VA) and Garrett Graves (R, LA). With passage of this legislation impacted retirees who served as government workers will no longer see their earned Social Security benefits penalized simply because they chose careers of public service. IFPTE was proud to be one of several Unions who helped to get this bill passed at the closing hours of the last Congress.”
Former IFPTE Local 1 president, Ed Cahoon, who will benefit from the passage of this bill, also commented: “I was a proud, four decades-long civilian worker for the United States Navy. Sadly, and unjustly, loopholes in the law ( would have ) led to me being denied the Social Security benefits I earned through other employment I had outside of my Navy job. I am thankful that this bill has finally become law so I can finally receive the Social Security benefit I paid into and earned.”
See the full bill signing ceremony here.