Facing pension cuts of 30 to 70%, Wisconsin teamsters joined with others from across the country to rally in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Members of the Green Bay Committee to Protect Pensions joined others from Wisconsin on an almost 16 hour ride to the U.S. Capitol, lending their voices to the rally.
"We had 4,000 people here for the rally and it was very powerful and emotional for a lot of people," said Brad Vaughn of the Green Bay Committee to Protect Pensions. "I think we're going to make a big difference by doing this."
International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Jim Hoffa joined the rally, along with several lawmakers, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin).
"It's wrong, and I joined the rally to call on the Treasury Department to reject this application," Baldwin said.
That application is the one from the Central States Pension Fund to the U.S. Treasury Department to approve these cuts to keep the company from going broke. The U.S. Treasury appointed mediator Kenneth Feinberg to approve or reject the cuts by May 7th.
Teamsters said they're hoping this rally will help Feinberg and lawmakers rule in their favor.
"One of the biggest impressions that they were speaking of is we're not paid by lobbyists," said Green Bay Committee to Protect Pensions member Terry Clark. "We're fighting for our own money on our own dime."
If the cuts are approved, they would go into effect July 1st. The Green Bay Committee to Protect Pensions will meet after the decision on May 15th at Stadium View in Ashwaubenon.
