Help Us Repeal GPO-WEP!

Nationwide Call to Action: 
Repeal Social Security Offsets

NEA needs your help to put pressure on lawmakers to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Public employees have lived with these unfair burdens long enough. It is time for Congress to act!

We need to draw public attention to the need for GPO-WEP repeal. Help us send a clear and forceful message that NEA is mobilized and is holding lawmakers responsible for their actions. Take part in the Nationwide Call to Action!

Events can take many different forms. The type and style of a particular event will depend upon the individual characteristics present within a given community. For example, are there active members who can be mobilized for a large event? Would a smaller event be more realistic? Are the Representatives and Senators supporters, opponents, or undecided on the issue of repealing GPO and WEP? Understanding the make-up and potential in a given community is the first step in deciding the type of an event to plan.

Below is a menu of activities to choose from to make our voice heard. NEA grassroots muscle can have a strong impact on influencing our legislators. Take some time and organize a few of these activities in your local area. Want to send a really powerful message to your lawmakers? Organize an activity from each category during one or more of the targeted periods.

Warm Up

Call-in Day

Contact members of Congress and tell them your story about the dramatic effects of GPO and/or WEP on your current or future income security. Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Representative and Senators by name. Use the talking points provided in this toolkit. Is your local Association having a meeting? Take 10 minutes on the agenda to have everyone call their members of Congress. This is a great way to get a lot of calls done at once.

Postcard Raiser

Many local Associations have organized fundraisers for a variety of causes. How about organizing a postcard raiser? Organize members to raise as many letters and postcards from colleagues as possible. Send or hand-deliver the letters to members of Congress in their district offices. See the sample postcard messages enclosed in the toolkit for ideas and talking points.

E-mail/Petition Drive

The NEA Legislative Action Center (LAC) is always available to help you send e-mails to Congress. On the GPO-WEP page,  http://www.nea.org/lac/socsec/offsets.html, you can personalize your e-mail message and also select from sample talking points. Advertise the LAC in your publications, and send a message to your personal e-mail lists asking friends, family, and coworkers to e-mail Congress.

Outreach to State Lawmakers

Social Security offsets have a significant impact beyond the individuals affected. Impacted states have difficulty attracting and retaining quality educators, particularly those who might move into the profession from the private sector. Impacted people also have less money to spend in their local economies. Reach out to your governor, state legislators, and local policymakers and ask them to call for repeal of the GPO and WEP. Encourage your governor and your superintendent to write a letter to Congress (you can adapt the letter from Governor Schwarzenegger   included in the toolkit). Ask your state legislators to pass a resolution (see the sample in the toolkit) calling on Congress to repeal the offsets.

Build a Coalition

The offsets impact many public employees beyond educators. Reach out to police, firefighters, and other public employees to build a coalition in support of repeal.

Main Event

District Office Visit with Member of Congress

Visit lawmakers with a group of public employees during a congressional recess, when your representatives are back home in their district offices. Make sure you talk about your own experiences as well as the impact on education in your state. Ask for a commitment from lawmakers to cosponsor and push for a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. Enclosed in the toolkit are talking points for use in your visit(s). We have also provided a "leave-behind" that you can give to lawmakers and their staffs.

Rally/News Conference

Organize a rally to send a clear message about the unfair GPO and WEP. A good rally needs a turnout of 20 or more members. One way to get create instant turnout is to have a rally during a regularly scheduled membership meeting. If your Senators and/or Representative are supporters of the Social Security Fairness Act, consider inviting them to speak at the rally. Invite the press to your rally. Choose a rally site outside of a Social Security Administration office or a public building like a school, fire house, or city hall.

Town Hall Meeting

A town hall meeting provides a great opportunity to educate the community and your lawmakers about the GPO and WEP. Take the time to organize an event that will bring together a wide cross-section of public employees to discuss the impact of the offsets. Notify the media about the meeting and advertise it throughout your community. Make sure you have a strong spokesperson who understands the issue and can speak on behalf of impacted public employees. If your Senators and/or Representative are supporters of the Social Security Fairness Act, consider inviting them to speak at the town hall meeting.

Encore

Letter to the Editor

A letter to the editor can be an effective tool to spread our message to a wide audience. Enclosed in the toolkit is a sample letter. Take the time to write your own version and send it to your local paper.

Share your Story

This issue is about real people who face real challenges and need a real solution. We need to hear from them. Collect these powerful stories from others who have been impacted by Social Security offsets. You can help us collect these stories by e-mailing them to clewis@nea.org or you can mail them to Carrie Lewis, NEA/GR, 1201 16th Street, NW, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20036. A form to collect stories is included in the toolkit.

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE
NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION ON GPO-WEP!

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