Staff report

Gov. Mike DeWine published an open letter last week to promote legislation supporting Delphi Corp.’s salaried retirees.

Specifically, DeWine asked U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, R-Columbus, to co-sponsor the “Susan Muffley Act of 2025,” which seeks to restore the pensions terminated in 2009.

“The restoration of these benefits will not only greatly assist the retirees, but it also will impact their families and communities,” DeWine said. “I encourage you to join the other members of the Ohio delegation who are supporting the Delphi salaried retirees in their pursuit of fairness.”

Carey serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which is one of two committees scheduled to hear the bill. The other is the Education and Workforce Committee.

The former Packard Electric / Delphi was a GM-affiliated parts supplier that filed for bankruptcy in October 2005. It reemerged from the process four years later.

In 2009, the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation was given oversight of Delphi employees’ pensions. Union pensions for hourly employees were fully funded, while the retirees were denied the same consideration.

More than 21,000 salaried retirees nationwide were affected, including 5,181 in Ohio.

Michigan has the largest number of retirees at 5,859, followed by Ohio, Indiana (4,044) and New York (2,337).

Action on the original bill, which passed the House in July 2022, was spurred when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider the retirees’ case.

The legislation, which had the support of the former Biden administration, failed to gain traction in the U.S. Senate.

According to Congress.gov, the legislation has 23 co-sponsors, including U.S. Rep. Michael A. Rulli, R-Salem, and U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township.