News

CWA Retired Members Hold Town Hall

31 Jul, 2025

Earlier this week, hundreds of retired CWA members gathered for a virtual town hall. CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. praised the retirees for their work building our union and encouraged them to stay involved. He also pledged to continue fighting for them. “It’s sad, but too often the companies that profited from your work look to retiree benefits first when Wall Street orders them to cut costs to boost their bottom line,” President Cummings said. “When I say we need to fight for everything this great union stands for, this is what I mean: we have to fight to protect each other. No one else is going to do that. We have to move forward from a place of love, not fear. We must stand up for prosperity, justice, and security for all, not just the very rich.”

CWA Retired Members Council (RMC) President Gwen Parker described the work that RMC chapters do to keep retired members informed. She noted that the fee to become a lifetime member of the RMC is just $25 and that retirees can join online at https://cwa.org/rmc. A list of RMC chapters and contact information is also available on the website.

CWA Legislative-Political Director Dan Mauer gave a presentation on the Social Security Fairness Act that then-President Joe Biden signed last December, which eliminated unfair provisions that lowered the Social Security benefits for some public sector workers. He advised retirees who qualify for the increased benefits but aren’t yet receiving them to contact the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov/myaccount or 1-800-772-1213. You can learn more about the Social Security Fairness Act here.

Mauer also explained how cuts to Medicaid and changes to Medicare in President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill will impact CWA retirees, particularly through higher prescription drug prices and the closing of rural hospitals and nursing homes. He also noted that while many people think the bill eliminates taxes on Social Security benefits, what it actually does is establish a deduction. He cautioned retired members that they will still need to file a tax return and to make sure to plan properly because the deduction has significant limitations and they may end up owing more than they expected. These limitations include:

Only available to those 65 and older
Not refundable
Begins phasing out for individuals making over $75,000 or couples filing jointly making over $150,000
Expires after 2028

He shared two other pieces of advice. First, retired members who are getting their benefits by paper check should enroll in direct deposit as soon as possible because the Social Security Administration plans to stop issuing checks at the end of September. Second, some adjustments, like changing your direct deposit, can no longer be handled over the phone—they must be done online or in person. Retired members should allow plenty of time for resolving Social Security issues because there have been complications in the new procedures and thousands of staff have been laid off. Slides from Mauer’s presentation are available here.

Finally, CWA General Counsel Matt Holder addressed the status of pension-related litigation against AT&T and Verizon for moving to third-party vendors, putting pensions at risk. The litigation continues to move through the courts.

If you missed the town hall, you can view it at youtu.be/Fq7FYzp443E.