AARP turns up heat on State Senate to end discrimination against
older workers who lose jobs ; Statewide media
campaign, volunteers press for Senate approval of House Bill 163
HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/
-- AARP Pennsylvania today launched a statewide media campaign
and mobilized its 1.8 million members to convince state senators
that older workers who lose their jobs should collect full
unemployment benefits.
AARP's media campaign begins
today and is running in the home markets of state senate
leadership members and key members in the Labor and Industry
committee. The print and radio ads encourage residents to
contact state senators and ask for approval of House Bill 163.
AARP Pennsylvania State Director Fred Griesbach added that 50
AARP volunteers, who are residents of Senator Scarnati's
district, visited the legislator's Harrisburg office today to
request that he move the bill from his committee to the Senate
floor.
House Bill 163 (which was
approved by the State House in June) would end the unfair
practice of limiting unemployed older workers to one dollar of
unemployment compensation benefits for every two dollars they
receive in monthly Social Security payments. Thirty-nine other
states already changed laws to assure older workers receiving
social security are entitled to full unemployment benefits.
"Older workers that lose jobs
deserve the same opportunities as other employees, and shouldn't
be penalized just for receiving Social Security benefits,"
Griesbach said. "Unfairly restricting seniors' unemployment
benefits is unacceptable in an era when pension cuts and rising
health care and energy costs make continued employment necessary
for many who have already reached retirement age."
Griesbach said the outdated
law is creating real economic hardships for older workers
statewide.
"When I filed for
unemployment, I was shocked," said Margo Metzger. The Lancaster
County school bus driver and social security recipient was
eligible to collect just $17 in weekly unemployment benefits
this past summer.
Sadly, her situation is not
unique.
When Bernie Ives lost his job
as a pharmacist in Bucks County, he was surprised to learn that
collecting social security limited his eligibility for
unemployment benefits to $38 every two weeks.
Bernie Ives' position as a
pharmacist in Bucks County was eliminated when his employer was
acquired by another company. "I was surprised to learn that
collecting social security limited my unemployment benefits to
38 dollars every two weeks," he said. "I don't understand why I
can't receive the same unemployment benefits as other workers."
In addition to treating older
workers fairly, approving House Bill 163 would be
budget-neutral, Griesbach said. The state Department of Labor
and Industry has already reported that any costs associated with
ending the Social Security offset for older workers would be
absorbed by a surplus in the unemployment compensation trust
fund. Opponents to the legislation have wrongly maintained that
changing the law will increase unemployment compensation
insurance premiums for businesses.
"Pennsylvania needs to join
the 39 other states that have already changed their outdated
laws and eliminated the social security offset for unemployment
compensation benefits," Griesbach said. "This is a simple issue
of fairness, and our state's senior citizens are paying the
price for the General Assembly's reluctance to act."
AARP Pennsylvania can provide
interview sources with victims of the current Social Security
offset law.
AARP has over 1.8 million
members in Pennsylvania. AARP is a non-profit, nonpartisan
membership organization dedicated to making life better for
people 50 and over. We provide information and resources; engage
in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy; assist members in
serving their communities; and offer a wide range of unique
benefits, special products and services for our members.