House passes bill to restore pensions for Delphi retirees 13 years after GM bankruptcy – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio
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House passes bill to restore pensions for Delphi retirees 13 years after GM bankruptcy
DAYTON — Thousands of people in the Miami Valley could finally get the retirement benefits they won after a 13-year battle, as Congress votes on a bill to restore pensions to non-union retirees from Delphi Corporation.
“The bottom line is that the government chooses who would win and who would lose,” Bruce Gump said.
Gump, the president of the Delphi Salaried Retirement Association (DSRA), said non-union workers lost their pensions when General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2008-09. The government bailed out the company in 40 days, but only agreed to fund one group’s pensions.
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“The government pushed us aside and did nothing for us,” Gump told News Center 7’s Mike Campbell. “They turned around and took care of all the union members, who were also in a hopeless situation.”
The Susan Muffley Act, which was first introduced in March 2022, would restore full monthly benefits earned to non-union retirees of Delphi Corporation. It passed the House on Wednesday and moved to the Senate.
Gump said the salaried retirees had nothing against their union friends and neighbors who received their pensions. Likewise, big unions supported the DSRA’s fight to restore the pensions of the 21,000 people who retired, then realized they had no health insurance, no life insurance and basically , no pension, on which they had drawn up retirement plans.
“The bill can’t bring back homes lost to foreclosure, can’t help families who have separated due to financial hardship,” he said.
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Retirees, including 2,000 in the Dayton area, have spent 13 years fighting this battle. Gump said the voice in Congress that spoke loudest for them was Dayton Congressman Mike Turner, describing him as a “lion” for their cause.
Gump said restoring retiree pensions could help the economy, especially in Ohio and Michigan.
“That money will be spent on restaurants, clothes, home repairs and so on,” he said.
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