In early January, concluding what has been said by many to be the most pro-worker administration in history, President Joe Biden acted on two fronts that will directly impact Steelworker members and retirees for years to come.
Most recently, on January 5, President Biden became the first president in more than 20 years to expand Social Security benefits after signing the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) into law.
The new law passed with large bipartisan majorities in the U.S. House (327 to 75) and Senate (76 to 20) and will ensure a dignified retirement for more than three million police officers, firefighters, nurses, postal workers, teachers, and other public sector workers and their surviving family members.
By eliminating the unjust Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), H.R. 82 will lead to an average monthly benefit increase of $360 for frontline workers who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities.
“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity,” Biden said.
Additionally, after a year-long campaign by our union to educate lawmakers, stakeholders, USW members and families about the potential drawbacks of the proposal to sell U.S. Steel to Nippon, a campaign aimed to build bi-partisan support for our position, President Biden acted on USW members’ behalf and blocked the deal.
In a statement following President Biden’s action, United Steelworkers International President David McCall said:
“Throughout the past year, as the proposed transaction was under review, our union’s first and only concern has been the long-term viability of our facilities as we look to ensure a strong domestic steel industry well into the future.
“Nippon has proven itself to be a serial trade cheater that for decades worked to undermine our domestic industry by dumping its products into our market. Allowing it to purchase U.S. Steel would have offered it the opportunity to further destabilize our trade system from within and in the process, compromise our ability to meet our own national security and critical infrastructure needs.
“It’s clear from U.S. Steel’s recent financial performance that it can easily remain a strong and resilient company. We now call on U.S. Steel’s board of directors to take the necessary steps to allow it to further flourish and remain profitable.”
The USW also commended President-elect Donald Trump for his continued opposition to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. We remain steadfast in our pledge to work with any administration that shares our commitment to sustaining a thriving, domestically owned and operated steel industry. Click HERE to see the recent statement on the blocked U.S. Steel/Nippon agreement.
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