CINCINNATI – Melissa Johnson has 20 years of experience teaching kindergarten in Warren County’s public schools. She had previously worked in the private sector for 20 years.
However, due to a Social Security rule, she will not receive the full benefits she is entitled to for her time before enrolling in school.
She stated that the shortfall will be $2,000 per month when she retires in 2025. “When I saw the figures of what I was going to get versus what I would have received if I had not been a teacher, it was mind-blowing,” Johnson recalled.
For decades, public workers who received a pension or other government retirement benefits did not get social security, even if they contributed to the system. Furthermore, their share of the income from their private-sector labor is significantly lower than that of other retirees.
The cap on such benefits affects public employees ranging from police officers to firefighters, teachers, and others, with over 2.1 million affected nationwide.
More than 213,570 recipients or their families are affected by a program known as the Windfall Elimination Provision in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Another provision known as the Government Pension Offset affects more than 121,503 people across three states.
Former Cincinnati City Councilmember and US Representative Greg Landsman (D)-Ohio is leading a campaign to force a vote on a new measure that would eliminate such caps for retired public employees. It means that if they paid into Social Security at any moment, they would receive their entire benefits with no caps.
The increased payments would cost an additional $2 billion across the country over the next ten years. Despite Republican leadership’s opposition, Landsman is attempting to collect 218 signatures in Congress to put the bill to a vote. He presently has roughly 170 signatures and says it must be done on behalf of those who dedicated their lives to public service.
“They’re trying to pay their bills and retire with dignity, and this would make a huge difference, and Congress just has to bring it up for a vote,” Landsman told reporters.
More than 300 Congressmen and 63 Senators signed on as cosponsors of the different legislation. Landsman stated that he hopes to secure that floor vote in the coming weeks before Congress breaks for election campaigns.
Local 12 also contacted Orlando Sonza, Landsman’s Republican opponent in the upcoming election, to hear his thoughts on the plan.
He stated that he supports it but questions the motivation and why it needs to be done. He stated that Landsman backed Biden administration initiatives that he believes have harmed the economy.
“And so my big concern is whether my opponent is being clear on that or is this just an election year stunt that he’s trying to pull,” says Sonza.