Pelosi Remarks at Townhall with Congresswoman Dingell and Union Leaders on the Urgent Need to Protect Pensions
Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616
Detroit – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, other Democratic Members of Congress, Teamsters General President Jimmy Hoffa and other union leaders for a townhall meeting in Detroit on the urgent need to take action to protect pensions. Below are the Leader's remarks:
Leader Pelosi. Thank you all for coming. This is a listening session, so my colleagues and I are looking forward to hearing from you. But we've been hearing from you in many forms for a very long time.
Jim Hoffa has been relentless, persistent, dissatisfied. Right? Would that be it? A leader. He foresaw, he foresaw a problem down the road. He came to us, and we've been having series of meetings and meetings, one after the other. He's been there himself. The honor of having him present at the table. John Murphy, of course, has been an intellectual resource to us over and over again. So, thank you.
[Applause]
First, I also want to say what an honor it is to not only be with each and every one of you, but with the President of the United Auto Workers. Aren't we honored that he's with us today.
I said to him last night at a function, that Walter Reuther – Walter Reuther said something that we quote all the time. He said, the bread box and ballot box cannot be separated. The lunch box and the ballot box cannot be separated. Benefits that are achieved at the negotiating table can be erased by what happens at the ballot box.
Martin Luther King marched with Alan Luther, they marched together. Reverend Martin Luther King said something similar. He said that – the ballot, the ballot, the ballot. Legislation, legislation, legislation. Your life, your life, your life.
So the connection to what happens in elections and what happens in peoples' lives is a very direct one. Ballot box, lunch box. So we want to win. Now, I'm not saying Democrats. I'm saying we want whoever wins to be there to fight for America's working families.
[Applause]
And if you have been listening in Washington D.C., we've had Sherman and Mike Walden. Oh my gosh, constant right? Constant Mike there, all the time, to bear witness.
Okay, so, President Hoffa presents the problem early on, meeting after meeting. Right John, meeting after meeting? It's time to write the bill. We had three instructions to Richie Neal in the House and working closely with Sherrod Brown in the Senate. First of all, two words: no cuts.
[Applause]
We appreciate the succinctness of that, thank you Kevin. Oh where'd he go? Oh, right there. Right in front of me.
So, here we are. No cuts, which we ensure, ensure that the benefits, the pensions will be there for our workers and to make it happen in a way that removes all doubt from people's minds.
Now you know, you may not know, but for me, my motivation to be involved in politics is about America's children and I say one of the most important things that we can do for America's children is to make sure and guarantee that the pensions are there for their parents and grandparents. They are there, guaranteed.
[Applause]
Democrats are offering A Better Deal and that is to provide financing to put family plans back on solid ground so they can meet their commitment to retirees today and into the future for decades to come. Remove all doubt, as President Hoffa said, ‘You work hard, you play by the rules, remove all doubt, the pension will be there.'
Again, no cuts, and then put safeguards in place so that plans remain strong and benefits will be there. Now, here's the thing: we have the bill, we have the bill, you know the bill, it's really important for us to pass it. So, we took it to our Republican colleagues because we were in touch all the time, knowing there was some concern among them as well, but would they act upon that concern?
We tried to get in a vehicle that was leaving the station, the big appropriation bill. They said no, but we did agree to put together the Committee that President Hoffa talked about, the Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans, that's the committee and it was my privilege and my honor to appoint [Congresswoman] Debbie Dingell to serve on that Committee.
[Applause]
Our goal is pass the Butch Lewis legislation, our top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, [Congressman] Richie Neal is committed to that, and the work that he did on that Committee was greatly enhanced by the leadership of [Congressman] Sandy Levin who also served on that Committee.
[Applause]
Another champion for labor in the Congress of the United States. Now, we are in a district – Mr. Conyer's district at the moment – but a neighboring district of Brenda Lawrence's who has been absolutely persistent and relentless on this issue.
[Applause]
This Michigan delegation has been magnificently led in every aspect of it all for labor and [Congressman] Dan Kildee following the steps of his uncle Dale Kildee, but making his own mark in Congress, he is just fantastic. Thank you so much.
So, again, the fact that we have so many colleagues, two from California, [Congressman] Jared Huffman, [Congresswoman] Barbara Lee; Washington state – the West Coast is well represented here; Mr. [Dwight] Evans from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it's a remarkable show, people coming to here, so we can go first-hand, back to say, ‘This is what we heard.'
Now, the President Hoffa can attest, when we introduced the Butch Lewis bill, we did right under the dome of the Capitol of the United States. Remember that day?
We were also joined by the United Mine Workers. We've got to save the pensions of the mine workers – everybody's pensions – but the mine workers have an emergency, which the Republicans seem just to [ignore] – it's amazing how much patience people have when other people suffer. You know, you just pass it along.
But we're not going to let that happen, and I guarantee you this. I guarantee you this, we will work very hard to get this bill passed, as soon as possible, in as bipartisan of a way as possible. But if that doesn't happen in the next few months, it will be among the first bills that the Democrats pass when we take back the House.
[Applause]
Audience. No Cuts! No Cuts! No Cuts! No Cuts!
Leader Pelosi. I yield back, thank you very much!
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