“We did our part to make certain that all 10 of this state’s representatives signed onto the bill. And, I’m pleased to report that the entire Mass delegation is supporting HR 664.”

There is also good news for our members who are interested in obtaining relief from the Windfall law.

HR 1073, introduced by Rep. Barney Frank, now has 162 cosponsors, and growing, which is greater than the total number of representatives supporting the bill during the last session.

Since the Commission will not issue its final report until sometime in the fall, the coalition will have ample time to map out the next stages in its strategy. “Last session we were unable to get GPO and WEP relief out of the subcommittee,” says Hill. “But this time, we expect our efforts to be far more successful.”

During the years that our Association has fought for GPO and WEP relief, the organization, that has been our closest ally, is the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. As we’ve done here, NARFE has taken the lead nationally on GPO and WEP relief.

When NARFE held its state convention this May, Association officials were there. “We had an excellent opportunity to meet with NARFE’s lobbyists and talk strategy over the coming months,” reports Association President Ralph White, who also spoke at the convention. “Over the years, they (NARFE’s legislative team) have been a tremendous source of information on the Washington scene.”

Reesa Motley-McMurtry, one of NARFE’s national legislative representatives, was the feature speaker at the convention.

An experienced Washington lobbyist, Motley-McMurtry laid a grassroots strategy plan for members in Massachusetts, a plan she had presented to the Maine and New Hampshire NARFE meetings earlier in the same week.

Gil Blaisdell, the hard-working state president of NARFE, presided over the meeting which was attended by over 200 delegates. Blaisdell, an Amesbury resident, had met with our Association on previous occasions to share strategy on seeking relief from the Social Security offset and windfall provisions.

“Although she works for NARFE, Reesa’s efforts in Washington are a plus for our Association and the other organizations within the CARE coalition,” said White. “Her message was clear and concise: ‘We’re involved in a struggle that will need tremendous grassroots energy.’ She is a very energetic, positive woman.”

As reported earlier, President Bush has established a Social Security Commission. It is co-chaired by former Senator Patrick Moynihan and AOL/Time Warner Chief Operating Officer Richard Parsons.

While the 16-member commission has been characterized as bipartisan (8 Democrats and Republicans each), AARP and other organizations have criticized its make-up as being weighed too heavily in favor of privatizing Social Security by diverting funds from the current system.

While privatizing Social Security appears to the principal controversy surrounding this commission, there is another issue of major import to our retirement systems and this Association - mandatory Social Security for new hires in the public sector, which our Association strongly opposes.

When Senator Patrick Moynihan was the ranking minority (Democrat) on the Senate Finance Committee, he proposed sweeping changes in Social Security, including his recommendation that all newly hired public employees in Mass and other states, not covered by SS, be covered under the program. Members may recall that the May 1998 Voice included a major story on Sen. Moynihan’s proposals.

Estimates indicate that mandatory SS would cost the Commonwealth and municipalities close to $3 billion dollars, in new payroll taxes, over 10 years, without any meaningful benefit to employees and retirees. To pay this federal tax, cuts would most assuredly have to be made in both state and local programs, including pension and insurance plans.

“We all know that during the recent campaign, President Bush went on the record opposing mandatory Social Security,” comments Hill. “But the fact that such a strong advocate for this now co-chairs the commission naturally raises our level of uneasiness.” states Hill.

“Just two issues ago.  I stated that we will continue our work with the Coalition to Preserve Retirement Security (CPRS) to defeat mandatory coverage. And, now we have the commission which must recommend new sources of revenue. As the battle wages on, we will remain vigilant.”