PA AFL-CIO Roundtable Hears Compelling Stories from Social Security Beneficiaries

Protect Social Security, Don't Privatize It They Say

Harrisburg, PA -- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William M. George and Secretary-Treasurer Richard W. Bloomingdale today held a roundtable discussion on Social Security featuring retirees, disabled persons, survivors, and young workers who talked about the importance of strengthening Social Security and opposing President Bush and Senator Rick Santorum’s Social Security privatization plan.

“Privatization is not just a debate about 33 million retired workers and their families, there are another 15 million beneficiaries of the Social Security survivors and disability insurance program, whose security will be lost under President Bush and Senator Rick Santorum’s proposed overhaul. In addition, 4 million children benefit from the Social Security program, making it the largest children’s benefits program in the nation,” Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William George said.

“Social Security is too important to all Americans, - Republicans, Democrats, male, female, young, and old regardless of ethnicity - to allow President Bush and the Rick Santorum’s of the world to carve it up into private accounts. Social Security needs some adjustments to protect workers today and in the future, but we don’t need to dismantle Social Security in order to fix it,” George said.

“Social Security is not only a lifeline for millions of older Americans, it is also critical to the lives of millions of workers who suffer from job-ending disabilities or who die and leave behind spouses. Three out of 10 workers will be disabled before reaching age 65 and 1 in 5 workers will never see retirement, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Bloomingdale declared.

“The cuts proposed by President Bush and Senator Rick Santorum will not strengthen Social Security or improve its ability to pay benefits. Instead, it cuts benefits and creates insecurity for millions of future retirees, disabled workers and survivors. We don’t have to dismantle Social Security to strengthen it. Congress should take time to make sure they get it right,” Bloomingdale said.

Roundtable discussion participants were: Max Richtman, Executive Vice President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare; Joe Nixon, a long time registered Republican who opposes President Bush’s privatization plan; Ed Pace of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans; Matt Seeley, a member of the Independent Living Council; Edith Jackson, former survivor benefits recipient and Ben Donahower, a young worker who opposes privatization

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