Four months ago at an event on the White House South Lawn, President Trump called truck drivers “the heroes of our nation’s great struggle against the coronavirus.” Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao agreed, saying truck drivers will “be a critical part in helping our economy recover” as they deliver food, PPE, and other necessary supplies. In return Secretary Chao promised, “the administration is here for you. Just let us know.”
As leaders of the Retirement Security Coalition, we hear from truck drivers regularly. Loud and clear, current and former drivers are letting us know they are in the fight of their life not only against COVID-19, but also the simultaneous disappearance of their retirement plans. What essential blue-collar workers and their families need now from leaders in Washington, D.C. is multiemployer pension plan reform. Failure to include a solution to the pension crisis in the next round of economic relief would let these heroes down while severely limiting our nation’s ability to recover.
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