Our Mission: To be a unifying force representing the needs of current and future Delphi Salaried Retirees and their families by: being a reliable source of pertinent information; communicating and promoting issues that are relevant to the Well Being of its members; and supporting the development of local groups focused on personal involvement in national and local issues.

Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) is trying to expedite the PBGC proecss of final determination of pension benefits* for Delphi salaried retirees.

Senator Brown and his fellow legislators have sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez** to to expedite the PBGC process of final determination of benefits.

Currently the PBGC has given a 2016 deadline for final determinations to be advised to beneficiaries.

The letter is signed by Senator Brown, Rep. Tim Ryan (OH), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH), Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH), Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Sen. Joe Donnelly (IN)

Senator Brown said he met with the Secretary of Labor a few weeks ago and will continue to meet with him over the matter of the Delphi salaried retirees.

* This only refers to final determination of benefits under the present PBGC guidelines, this does NOT refer to resolution of the Delphi Salaried Retirees' fight for restoration of their full and rightful pensions.
** Secretary of Labor Tom Perez also serves as Chair, Board of Directors, PBGC.

Sen. Brown group letter to Sec. of Labor

Washington, D.C. – January 16, 2014, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, urged Committee members to extend the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC), an issue of particular importance to Delphi Retirees struggling to maintain affordable healthcare.

Today’s comments follow a December Finance Committee hearing where Portman introduced a bipartisan amendment at the Committee’s mark-up of health legislation to extend the HCTC for two years.  After debate on Portman’s amendment, which was cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Portman secured a commitment from the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to work toward extending the HCTC when Congress renews Trade Adjustment Assistance this year.  This was the first commitment from Senate leaders to work toward extending the HCTC, which expired on January 1, 2014.

Sen. Portman's remarks - video | Sen. Portman's full release | PDF copy

Washington, D.C.—This week, Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH), Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) were joined by the entire Ohio Republican Delegation in a letter requesting that the Office of Inspector General conduct an inquiry into the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s lengthy delay in providing final benefit determinations for Delphi Salaried Retirees.  ~~

Despite the PBGC’s stated policy of issuing these determinations in three years, these retirees have waited in earnest for nearly five years to the day for the PBGC to complete the basic documentation necessary to begin the benefit determination process.

“This letter is a simple request for accountability," said Congressman Turner (R-OH). ~~ "~~ They’ve lost so much, and we won’t let up until they get the straight answers they deserve,” said Speaker Boehner (R-OH).  “The Delphi Salaried Retirees and their families have gone too long without adequate answers regarding their pensions,”said Senator Portman (R-OH). ~~

The letter was also signed by Ohio Republican Reps. Steve Stivers, Steve Chabot, Pat Tiberi, Bill Johnson, Bob Latta, Bob Gibbs, David Joyce, Brad Wenstrup, Jim Renacci, and Jim Jordan. 

Rep. Turner Release | Sen. Portman Release | Letter to PBGC Insp. General

In his weekly column on January 10, 2014, Senator Rob Portman (OH) again highlights the ongoing issues facing Delphi salaried retirees facing both pension reductions and the increased cost of health care insurance with the loss of HCTC.

– Senator Portman's Weekly Column –

Across the country, Americans are celebrating the promise of a new year. But for 20,000 families of Delphi salaried retirees that lost their pensions in 2009 because of the actions of the Obama Administration, their new year is starting out under a cloud.

In the summer of 2009, as the government took GM into bankruptcy, the Obama Administration terminated thousands of Delphi salaried retirees and their pensions. These 20,000 salaried retirees, ranging from shop-floor supervisors and salespeople to engineers and office managers, spent many years at Delphi, a major employer and economic engine in towns across Ohio from the Mahoning Valley to the Miami Valley. They earned their pensions the American way, through hard work and dedication. Because of one political decision, all that hard work vanished into thin air.

Now many of these families are struggling to make ends meet. Like so many Americans who continue to face challenges in this difficult economy, they have very little margin in their budgets for unexpected expenses. Many Delphi retirees and their families depend on the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) to secure affordable health insurance. The HCTC was designed to help people who have experienced job loss and who, like former Delphi employees, have had their defined benefit pension plans taken over by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Often the HCTC serves as an important bridge for older Americans until they become eligible for Medicare benefits, covering 72.5 percent of their costs. But on January 1, 2014, that tax credit expired.