House panel to hear concerns over retirees’ pensions, benefits

By William K. Alcorn

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee will conduct a hearing Wednesday on the pensions and benefits that may be cut because of the Delphi Corp. bankruptcy.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Bruce Gump, Delphi retiree representative, are scheduled to testify.

Ryan, of Niles, D-17th, said the decision to have the hearing came after his request to George Miller, chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor; and Rob Andrews, chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions.

“I’m excited to speak on behalf of nearly 70,000 hard-working Americans, over 5,000 of whom are in my district, whose retirement benefits are threatened by circumstances beyond their control,” said Ryan.

“As part of the economic- stimulus bill that passed in February, Democrats were able to secure critical benefits that helped Delphi retirees, but I believe more can be done,” he said.

Ryan said he has had discussions with state and federal officials, including a meeting with President Barack Obama on Air Force One, to address the issue and its local impact in the event of inaction.

In July, Ryan introduced legislation to provide funding for a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association, which would cover Delphi hourly and salaried employees and retirees who lost their health coverage through Delphi and GM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcies.

Gump, of Howland, testified at a Senate hearing on this issue Oct. 29 and came away from that hearing optimistic that senators will work to restore pension benefits.

Gump is a member of the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association, which has been fighting Delphi’s decision to terminate its pension plans and turn them over to the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Retirees are expecting pension cuts of between 30 percent and 70 percent at the first of the year.

alcorn@vindy.com