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U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI)— both members of the bipartisan Joint Select Committee tasked with solving the nationwide multiemployer pension plan crisis— today submitted thousands of personal stories penned by workers and retirees whose families would be devastated by the sudden loss or reduction of their pensions. The submission includes hundreds of stories from North Dakotans and Michiganders.    

Without action from Congress, a total of 1.5 million retirees nationwide who are part of various pension funds could see their retirement savings drastically cut. To gather input about the potential challenges faced by retirees and to help craft a legislative solution to the pension crisis, the Committee has been gathering feedback from workers, retirees, and employers through an email inbox. Heitkamp and Dingell are encouraging all impacted workers, retirees, and business who have not already sent their stories and suggestions to email JSCSMPP@finance.senate.gov by September 30, 2018.

Click here to read over 100 of the 1,000-plus stories submitted by workers, retirees, and their families impacted by the pension crisis.

“The personal stories we submitted today are powerful. They’re stories shared by men and women across the country who worked hard for decades, often in physically demanding jobs, and played by the rules to provide for the long-term futures of their families. Even though they were responsible and saved for retirement, they’re finding themselves stiffed through no fault of their own. It’s just wrong,” said Heitkamp. “The members on the Committee need to hear these stories. The government managed to bail out Wall Street when times were tough, but it’s now dangerously close to shirking its commitment to look out for workers when they need it most. These workers deserve every ounce of help we can give them, and I’ll keep fighting for a bipartisan solution to this mess.”

“It’s impossible to read these stories and not be spurred to action,” said Dingell. “Failure is not an option for the Pension Committee. These thousands of stories are only a sampling of the stories I hear every single day. Hard working men and women are desperate because they don’t know what their options are if their pensions aren’t there.”

“This pension is my main income, and losing it would cause me to have to sell my home. I have had several back surgeries from the work I was doing, and it would be hard for me to find employment with my medical record,” Larry Schaff, retired UPS driver, Mandan, North Dakota. “This pension is something I worked very hard for, and losing it would be devastating to my family. This pension loss would not only affect the pensioners, but it would cost the government millions or even billions for the people it pushes into financial uncertainty.”

“With the help of always working, and having a good well-paying union job that included good medical coverage, we have lived comfortably. Work has never been an easy job, but we have always looked forward to our retirement,” said Dennis Germain, retired Teamster, Southgate, Michigan. “If we should lose or even have our pensions cut, this will hurt not only my family, but our children’s family, the church we got to, and our local community. Taxes, food, medicine, mortgage, vehicles, insurances for home, health, and vehicles will also be in jeopardy of being unpaid. We need our pension without any cut, just to survive.”

“My husband, Quinten, lost his life four years ago at the young age of 49 after a short battle with cancer. Knowing he was the main income provider, he feared I would struggle without him. As scared as I was, I assured him the kids and I would be okay,” said Annette Hausauer, Mandan, North Dakota. “One thing that brought him peace of mind was that he had 20 years vested in a pension—and that one day I would be able to draw my portion. I’m encouraging members of Congress to fight for the rights of all pension recipients— especially those who can no longer fight for themselves. I’d also like to thank Senator Heitkamp for helping write and introduce the Butch Lewis Act and for raising awareness about this very important issue.”

“Not only is it a present worry for me, but I have spent my life being a hard-working, responsible person planning for my future as I grow older, and now the threat of not being able to survive at the age of 68 is very real,” said Larry Baldwin, Southgate, Michigan. “Everything I have worked for is at stake. The risk of losing everything, even my home is real. I stood by my company during the difficult years by taking concessions, believing at the time in my loyalty to the fund.”

A recent analysis from the American Enterprise Institute found that the collapse of the Central States Pension Fund— just one of the pension funds in distress around the country— would cause serious harm to the nationwide economy. The analysis concluded that the fund’s collapse would lead to the loss of nearly 300 jobs in North Dakota and over 5,000 jobs in Michigan— as well as more than 55,000 jobs lost across the country by 2025. The study also found that GDP would decline by more than $5 billion. Click here to read the full report.  

To prevent a major economic burden on workers, retirees, and American taxpayers, Heitkamp and Dingell also stressed the need for Congress to work to find a legislative fix to the growing pension problem, such as through her Butch Lewis Act— which Heitkamp helped write and introduce last November. The Select Committee will provide a process for Congress to consider this bill and work toward a bipartisan solution that can solve the pension crisis.

Heitkamp and Dingell both fought to be appointed to the Committee, which is required to hold public meetings and hearings focused on retirees, current workers, and small businesses. The Committee consists of 16 members, including eight senators and eight congressmembers, equally divided between Republicans and Democrats. The Committee has instructions to report a bill by the last week of November 2018.

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