Washington, D.C.- Today, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10) announced that his bill, the “Susan Muffley Act of 2022”, passed the House 254 to 175. This bill restores pensions of Delphi Salaried Retirees (DSR) that were terminated following General Motors' bankruptcy in 2009. Turner introduced the bipartisan legislation in March 2022 alongside Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-5).
"For over 13 years now I have dedicated my time and attention to restoring the pensions to Delphi Salaried Retirees," said Turner. "It is our responsibility as members of Congress to address this injustice. We finally have the chance to rectify this wrong. Stand up for the 20,000 hard-working Americans who want what is rightfully theirs."
Watch Turner's full remarks on the House floor here.
“If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to retire with dignity,” said Kildee. “What happened to the Delphi salaried retirees is wrong. While the government rescued General Motors, these workers lost their pensions through no fault of their own. Congress has this opportunity to right this wrong. These hardworking retirees have waited too long to receive the benefits they earned, and I am proud the House passed my legislation today to fix this wrong.”
"Thirteen years ago, our pensions were needlessly terminated when the federal government intervened in General Motor’s bankruptcy," said Tom Rose, DRSA Board Member. "Today’s vote is the first step towards correcting the financial harm that was needlessly imposed on over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees."
"The Delphi Salaried Retirees have been incredibly brave these last thirteen years. After devoting countless years to our careers, having our pensions stolen was absolutely devastating," said Mary Miller, Former DRSA Board Member. "The passage of this bill today is a reminder why we never gave up hope and will keep fighting for what is rightfully ours."
"We have been fighting alongside Representative Turner since day one," said Tom Green, DRSA Advocate. "The Delphi Salaried Retirees have dedicated thousands of hours, faced setbacks, and made many sacrifices over the past thirteen years. We are very thankful for Representative Turner leading the way and helping us get to where we are today."
Background:
The “Susan Muffley Act” provides backpay for the pension payments that should have been received for the past 13 years via a lump sum payment equivalent to the difference between any benefits that have paid out and what retirees would have been paid without limitations, plus 6 percent interest. It would also restore full pension payments going forward as if never disrupted. There are more than 21 thousand Delphi retirees impacted by this legislation, with approximately 5,180 retirees residing in Ohio.
In the Great Recession of 2009, car parts manufacturer Delphi faced bankruptcy. The company was acquired by General Motors (GM), which also faced financial hardship during that time. As part of GM’s bailout, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) took trusteeship of Delphi employees’ pensions at the direction of the Obama Administration.
One group employed by Delphi was a group of 20 thousand salaried employees, including those who worked at the company’s plant in Dayton. Retirement benefits for these employees included a single-employer pension. GM decided to close the plant and voluntarily terminate the fully funded pension of the salaried employees. At that point, the PBGC became the sole trustee of the plan. The salaried employees then formed the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association (DSRA).
Since then, Congressman Turner has been working closely with the DSRA to restore their benefits throughout the Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations.
In October 2020, at the urging of Congressman Turner, former President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the PBGC to examine the financial status of Delphi Salaried Retirees’ pension fund and to investigate administrative or legislative pathways for the restoration of the fund.
In December 2021, Turner filed an Amicus Brief when the DSRA filed for Cert with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Dennis Black, et al. v. PBGC case. This past January the case was denied cert, thus Turner authored the “Susan Muffley Act” as the only option to wholly restore the pensions.
Most recently, President Joe Biden issued a statement of administrative policy in support of the legislation that would restore the Delphi retirees’ pensions.
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