20-02-2025
Bill to restore retirement benefits for Delphi retirees reintroduced in Congress
Legislation to restore the retirement benefits of some 20,000 Delphi salaried employees has been reintroduced to the U.S. Senate after failing to gain any traction in years past.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur; D-Ohio, Claudia Tenney, R- New York; and Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin; reintroduced the Susan Muffley Act of 2025 last week.
The legislation seeks to restore pensions for over 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees, including thousands in Indiana.
When General Motors filed for bankruptcy during the Great Recession, the U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation assumed responsibility for the terminated benefits but could not pay an individual more than a statutory maximum benefit. Therefore, retirees experienced losses to their benefits.
'I have remained steadfast in my fight to restore the pensions of Delphi Salaried Retirees,' Turner said in a statement. 'While this has been a long time coming, the strong bipartisan support gives us hope that we can finally right this wrong for those who lost their pensions.'
Under the bill, retirees would receive a lump sum payment covering the pension benefits they should have received over the past 15 years, with 6% interest added to account for the delay. Moving forward, the legislation would fully restore their pensions, ensuring retirees receive the payments they were originally promised, as if the disruption had never occurred.
For over a decade, the Delphi salaried retirees have been fighting to restore their benefits.
In September 2009, the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association filed a lawsuit against the PBGC to restore their pension benefits. After losing decisions at lower courts, the DSRA petitioned to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case in January 2022. Congressional action is now the only option for restoring their pensions.
The bill was introduced last year and passed the House, and it received support from then-President Joe Biden, but was not heard or voted on by the U.S. Senate or included in the year-end omnibus spending bill in the Senate, and thus died.
The legislation is named after Susan Muffley, the late wife of Russiaville resident Dave Muffley.
Susan Muffley was part of the DSRA's core leadership in the effort to restore their pensions. Dave worked at Delphi as an electronics technician for 31 years, but lost the full value of his pension in 2009.
Despite health problems, Susan avoided seeing her doctor given her family's financial constraints due to losing their pension. She was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died Aug. 9, 2012.
The legislation was introduced last year but never made it out of committee in either chambers.
