Page 6 - Work Force September 2020

MOn the issues: Social Security/Medicare and Medicaid
ore than 63 million Americans For these reasons, the outcome of widowers by about 20 percent more rely on Social Security, which the 2020 Presidential election is crucial per month.
to Social Security, federal budget proposals have repeatedly aimed to reduce Social Security expenditures, citing inefficient spending. The administration had also proposed
a rule for Social Security Disability recipients that would require them to provide additional information supporting their ongoing claims for benefits every two years.
Trump also supports work requirements and other limitations on Medicaid eligibility, as well as placing spending caps on Medicaid and converting the program to block grants.
CSEA Retiree Executive Committee Chair Millie Lucas said that Biden’s plan for Social Security aligns better with the interests of retired union members.
“As union workers who worked hard to earn our Social Security benefits, we want to ensure that the fund is preserved for all workers in the future, and we have our doubts that the President’s plan would do so,” Lucas said. “We very much support the Biden plan to strengthen Social Security and provide increased benefits to retirees.”
has played a key role for 84 years in helping ensure retirement security.
Social Security is funded through a dedicated tax known as the payroll tax. The employer pays 6.2 percent and the employee pays 6.2 percent. This money comes out of our paychecks and goes into the Social Security trust fund.
Under the current Social Security system, there is a maximum amount
of wages that is subject to the payroll tax. For 2020, that maximum is $137,700, which means that employees do not have to pay a tax on any earnings above the current limit of $137,700.
While the majority of recipients are retirees, Social Security also benefits those with disabilities who are unable to work.
As the number of recipients increases, the fund was projected
to become insolvent, or unable to provide full benefits to retirees,
by 2035. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to worsen the situation largely through depressing payroll tax revenue.
to the program’s future. Here are the candidates’ stances on Social Security:
Former Vice President Joe Biden
supports expanding Social Security and has opposed efforts to privatize the program.
To help ensure the fund’s solvency, Biden has proposed to eliminate the income cap on Social Security taxes and require that all wages earned would be subject to the payroll tax.
He has also proposed a higher payroll tax rate for those who make more than $400,000.
He has also proposed a 5 percent increase in Social Security benefits for retirees or those with disabilities who have been collecting benefits for 20 years or more, to help preserve the purchasing power of older retirees.
Biden’s plan would also set a minimum benefit so that all workers who put in 30 years of work would be guaranteed a benefit equal to at least 125 percent of the federal poverty level.
The plan would also increase survivor benefits for widows and
Biden also proposed lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60, which would potentially extend Medicare to an additional 20 million Americans.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order allowing employers and workers the option
to delay paying the payroll tax until 2021 when all past payments must be caught up. At that time, the missed payments will be due.
Trump has also said that if he is re-elected, he will permanently repeal the payroll tax and fund Social Security with other revenues not
yet disclosed. This lack of specifics
is troubling for workers whose retirement security is based on Social Security.
A recent report by the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration noted that without the payroll tax and without an alternative funding source, the Social Security trust fund would be depleted by 2023.
While he had earlier indicated that he would not consider cuts
Child care workers support plan to boost pay, address caregiving crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a crisis in caregiving, especially for child care providers, many of whom have been forced to scale back or close operations entirely.
Those remaining in business, including many CSEA/VOICE child care providers, continue to provide essential services to families who need child care despite the great risk to their own and their family’s health. Often talked about as the ‘invisible’ sector, in reality, child care is the underpinning of our economy and is in dire need of support.
A recent proposal would increase income for child care providers and increase access to affordable child care for families. The plan, recently put forward by Presidential candidate Joe Biden, would emphasize tax credits and state funding subsidies to make child care more affordable and more accessible to working families. The plan would cost $775 billion over 10 years and would be mostly funded through limiting tax loopholes and
exemptions for real estate investors. The plan also includes funding for
new child care jobs and increased pay for child care workers through new state standards and federal minimum wage laws. Also proposed are plans to build and upgrade child care facilities through tax breaks.
While the federal Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has provided states
with supplemental funding for child care through the Child Care and Development Block grant, the program has failed to adequately address the child care crisis that providers and families face.
“The pandemic has laid bare
just how hard it is for people in this country to find access to quality caregiving they need for themselves, or to juggle the responsibilities of working and also caring for family members,” the Biden campaign said in a statement accompanying the rollout of the proposal. “Many parents are struggling to find child care while they
go to their jobs, or find themselves as 24/7 caregivers trying to keep their children safe and learning while working remotely.”
CSEA/VOICE Local 100A President Pam Wells said
that providers are encouraged by the plan.
care directly benefits family child care right here in New York.”
The plan will not only help families who need affordable child care, but providers who have been struggling during the pandemic.
“Providers who were already operating on razor-thin margins are facing higher costs and lower revenues since fewer children are attending
as parents work from home or have lost employment due to cuts during the pandemic,” Wells said. “Many programs have closed their doors
and it is projected to only get worse. Offering a sliding scale subsidy plan for low to middle-class families and reducing their out-of-pocket cost to 7 percent or less of their income; this
is huge both for the families we serve and for our providers serving low income families.”
The plan also includes caregiving proposals to older Americans and those with disabilities.
— Jill Asencio
6 The Work Force
September 2020
“We find it
encouraging to see
our values reflected
throughout Biden’s
child care plan,” Wells said. Treating caregivers and early educators with respect and dignity is exactly what we fought for and have in CSEA. This is
a great step for providers across the country.”
“We are also encouraged by the plan’s recognition that quality care begins with the child care workforce,” Wells said. “Bonus payments to providers giving extended hour care and expanding access to high-quality care for families with high barriers to
Wells