Acting US Secretary of Labor Julie Su held a rally at Engineered Fluid, Inc. in Centralia alongside regional labor leaders to talk about efforts to secure pensions for workers in Illinois and across the Midwest. An audience of union workers turned out in support while Su talked about the work done by unions and the Department of Labor to stabilize pension funds that had previously been in jeopardy. Su announced that through the Butch Lewis Act, 23.6 million dollars had been allocated to the Midwestern Teamsters Pension Plan. She called this a victory for both workers and employers.
“This is more than just a lifeline for retirees. It’s a victory for fairness, a victory for dignity, and for every one of you in this room, because you can now retire knowing that your pension is secure,” Su said. “And making sure pensions are secure isn’t just good for workers, it’s good for employers too, who would have been left with obligations that they couldn’t pay and the devastating financial consequences that come with that… and what would have happened without the Butch Lewis Act is that many businesses would have had to shut down.”
The Butch Lewis Act, passed as part of the American Rescue Plan in 2021, allows the federal government to fund multiemployer pension plans to prevent them from becoming insolvent. The Midwestern Teamsters Plan is one of more than 200 distressed multiemployer pension plans provided relief by the act, with over 2 million workers across America prevented from facing cuts to their retirement benefits.
Following the rally, Su said that EFI was an ideal place to hold the event because the company understands the importance of treating workers fairly.
“The 23.6 million dollars is going to help to ensure that over 600 individuals who are part of this fund get the pensions that they deserve, and many of them are employees of EFI. This is a company that knows that when they do right by their workers, it’s better for business too… we as an administration believe that when workers do well, employers prosper, the communities are stronger, and our nation is stronger, and being here is an example of that.”
According to Su, the Biden/Harris administration’s workers-first approach has had a positive effect across the entire economy.
“We inherited an economy on the brink of disaster, and most people said that a recession was inevitable. The approach of this administration of saying, when you put workers first, then you can really build the strength of the economy overall, has proven true… companies like EFI have grown as a direct result of those investments, as a result of initial rescue money and now investments in clean water. This is all happening because leadership matters, investments matter, and because a vision of economy in which workers come first is successful.”
While she feels that the need for workers to receive the pensions they have earned goes beyond politics, Su said that it was Democrats in Congress that made this pension funding possible, as not a single Republican in Congress voted to pass the Butch Lewis Act as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Su speaks to the crowd. Photo by Pat Hodges.
Members of the audience listening to Su’s speech. Photo by Pat Hodges.
