Sample Event Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Insert date]
CONTACT: [Insert name, phone number, e-mail address]

Educators Ask Lawmakers to Repeal GPO-WEP

Bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act Would Protect Earned Benefits

[City and state] --Members of the [insert state/local Association] today urged [insert name of member of Congress] to call for an immediate repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which penalize retired public servants by taking away benefits they earned throughout their careers. In a [specify rally, press conference, other public event] , educators urged their representative to support the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82/S. 206) and call for immediate action by Congress.

[Insert name], president [or other officer] of the [insert name of state/loca] , said that the impacts of GPO and WEP are felt not only in those states where public employees, including educators, are not covered by Social Security. Individuals in every state are affected because people move from state to state.

"We should respect, not penalize, public service," [president/officer] said. We're suffering a shortage of teachers across the nation, but why would anyone want to enter this profession if they know it means a loss of earned Social Security benefits?"

More than 200 members of Congress and the Senate have signed on to cosponsor the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal the GPO and WEP, including members of both political parties. But the bill remains stuck in committee.

"The numbers of people impacted by these exclusions grow daily, and that population is getting closer to retirement age," [president/officer] explained. "We cannot afford to wait any longer. Congress has a moral obligation to act now."

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.

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