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Legislative bills

Restoring Pensions for 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Representative Dan Kildee has introduced bipartisan legislation to restore retirement benefits to over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees, including more than 5,000 in Michigan, after General Motors' bankruptcy left them with reduced pensions. The Susan Muffley Act aims to make up the difference between the earned benefits and the reduced amounts paid by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The bill would provide a lump sum payment of the difference, plus 6% interest, to be taxed over three years, with beneficiaries receiving their full earned benefit amount moving forward.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Susan Muffley Act aims to restore retirement benefits to over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees, including more than 5,000 in Michigan.
  • The bill would provide a lump sum payment of the difference between the earned benefits and the reduced amounts paid by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, plus 6% interest.
  • The payment would be taxed over three years, and beneficiaries would receive their full earned benefit amount moving forward.
  • The affected retirees live in 27 states, with the highest numbers in Michigan (5,859), Ohio (5,181), and Indiana (4,044).
  • Representative Dan Kildee has been leading the fight in Congress to restore pensions for Delphi Salaried Retirees since 2009, including introducing bipartisan legislation in 2013 and signing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021.
  • The Susan Muffley Act has bipartisan support, with Representatives Tim Ryan, Mike Turner, Marcy Kaptur, Bill Johnson, Debbie Dingell, and Warren Davidson, and Senators Sherrod Brown, Debbie Stabenow, Gary Peters, and Rob Portman as cosponsors.

Statistics:

  • Over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees are affected nationwide.
  • More than 5,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees live in Michigan.
  • The affected retirees live in 27 states.
  • The highest numbers of affected retirees live in Michigan (5,859), Ohio (5,181), and Indiana (4,044).
  • The Delphi Salaried Retiree Association has been fighting to restore their benefits for over a decade.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to take the case to trial by jury in 2022.

Sources:

  • Office of Representative Dale Kildee
  • Press release from Congressman Dan Kildee's office
  • Interview with Bruce Gump, Chair of the Delphi Salaried Retiree Association
  • U.S. Supreme Court denial of petition to take the case to trial by jury
  • Congressional Task Force on Delphi Pensions (2013)
  • Amicus brief signed by Congressman Kildee in the U.S. Supreme Court (2021)

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