Teamster Retirees Win Surprise Victory, Force Government Not To Slash Their Pensions
In a stunning demonstration of the power of grassroots organizing, retired Teamster union members across the Midwest have forced the federal government to back down on plans to slash pensions on thousands of retired workers.
Central States Executive Director Thomas Nyhan acknowledged the power of the constituent-contact lobbying effort in his letter to retirees:
A significant number of Members of Congress were vocal in calling for Treasury to reject our pension rescue plan. It is now time for those and others who suggested that there is a better way to fix this critical problem to deliver on real solutions that will protect the retirement benefits of Central States participants….
In the coming months, we will do everything in our power to support a legislative solution that protects the pension benefits of the more than 400,000 Central States participants and beneficiaries, who should not have to bear the emotional trauma of waiting until the Fund is at the doorstep of insolvency before Congress acts.
http://inthesetimes.com/working/ent...e_victory_force_government_not_to_slash_their
Like I said, Teamsters must keep fighting just to keep what others before them have earned and they will win if the numbers are there. They're relying that members become weak and scared so that they just accept things as inevitable and move on as many already have. And if that isn't bad enough, those that have accepted things as inevitable and are willing to move on just hinder those that do continue to fight to keep what was earned like you also see on this forum. Now that is what a call a shame.
Even that no good Nyhan is now being forced support protecting the pension benefits first instead of lobbying just to have the pensions cut.