NILES, OH – Today, Senator Sherrod Brown joined USW Local 2155 President Derrick Beachum, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 396 Business Manager Marty Loney, retired Teamster and Niles native Ed Barker, President of the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Norm Wernet, Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Labor Council President Bill Padisak and Ohio workers in the Mahoning Valley to celebrate the 100,000 pensions Sherrod saved through the Butch Lewis Act.
When Wall Street gambled away workers’ retirement, Sherrod led the fight to secure the pensions of over 100,000 Ohioans and named the bill after an Ohio Teamster. Sherrod will always fight to make sure every Ohioan can retire with dignity.
“One of my proudest moments in the Senate is saving the pensions of more than 100,000 Ohioans to make sure Ohio workers got the pensions they worked their entire lives for,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “If you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work and I will continue doing that every single day. I’m grateful to have Ohio workers by my side in our fight to make sure hard work pays off for everyone. My opponent has made it clear he’s only looking out for himself, while I’m always on the side of Ohio workers.”
“No one works harder than Sherrod Brown when it comes to fighting to protect the pensions and retirement of Ohio workers,” said Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans President Norm Wernet. “Sherrod never gives up – even when passing the Butch Lewis Act looked impossible, Sherrod never abandoned the fight. He got it done.”
“Without Sherrod Brown, the Butch Lewis Act wouldn’t be law today and the pensions of 100,000 Ohio workers wouldn’t have been saved,” said retired Teamster Ed Barker. “Sherrod understood we earned those pensions and he understood we gave up wages at the bargaining table for our retirement security – that’s something very few people in Washington care to understand. He has always been a steadfast champion for the dignity of every worker.”
“I can confidently say the choice for Senate in Ohio is crystal clear,” said Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 396 Business Manager Marty Loney. “Sherrod has always stood by Ohio workers. He doesn’t do the easy thing, he does the right thing. He’s always had our back, and this November, it’s time for us to have his. We need to reelect the most pro-worker Senator in the U.S. Senate.”
“Politics are about whose side you are on, and Sherrod Brown has shown time and again that he’s on the side of Ohio workers,” said Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Labor Council President Bill Padisak. “He fights with unwavering determination for what matters most to Ohioans – Social Security, Medicare, and a good retirement for every worker.”
Photos are available for media use here.
Sherrod will always fight to make sure Ohio workers get the benefits and pensions they’ve earned:
- Sherrod led the fight to restore the pensions of over 100,000 Ohioans through the Butch Lewis Act, named after an Ohio Teamster.
- Sherrod is leading the fight to restore the pensions of the retired Delphi workers who lost the retirement they earned after the company went bankrupt.
- Sherrod is fighting to pass the Social Security Fairness Act to secure full Social Security benefits for teachers, first responders, and other public sector workers.
- Sherrod introduced the Strengthening Social Security Act to make sure Social Security benefits keep up with retirees’ cost of living.
- Sherrod introduced the FOP-backed Expanding Health Care Options for Early Retirees Act to allow first responders to receive Medicare benefits before retirement age.
- Sherrod has consistently opposed efforts to raise the retirement age or privatize Social Security, and introduced a resolution to affirm the Senate’s commitment to protecting and expanding Social Security.
