McDonald Rivet Introduces Legislation to Restore Pensions for Delphi Salaried Retirees
WASHINGTON— Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) recently introduced the Susan Muffley Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill to restore the pensions of over 21,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees, including over 5,800 retirees in Michigan.
“When you contribute to a pension with every single paycheck, you count on it being there when you retire. Thousands of Delphi retirees have been robbed of the retirement they earned. It is unacceptable,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. “I will continue the longstanding fight to restore for Delphi employees the retirement they earned with Republicans and Democrats.”
“Since 2009, the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association has fought to get our members the benefits they were robbed of. Today, many Delphi salaried retirees work well into their retirement years just to pay family medical and other bills, and keep a roof over their heads,” said Ron Beeber, Delphi Salaried Retirees Association Board Treasurer. “I applaud Congresswoman McDonald Rivet for introducing legislation to support workers and correct a series of terrible decisions made by the federal government.”
“Working as hard as I did for as long as I did, sometimes going weeks without a day off, I should have the retirement so many working Michiganders dream of. But because my pension was cut by over 30% and my benefits were ripped away, things are much harder than they should be. At this point, I just want to be able to leave something for my kids,” said Al Gerwin of Saginaw Township. “I can’t explain how much it means to know Congresswoman McDonald Rivet supports retirees like me, and we can count on her as an ally in this fight.
Background
During the Great Recession of 2009, car parts manufacturer Delphi faced bankruptcy. The company was acquired by General Motors. As part of GM’s bailout, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation took trusteeship of Delphi employees’ pensions, including for a group of 21,000 salaried employees. Retirement benefits for these employees included a single-employer pension. Ultimately, the restructuring led to some retirees losing as much as 70% of their vested benefits.
The legislation is named after Susan Muffley, who was part of the Delphi Salaried Retiree Association’s leadership. Despite many early warning signs, Susan avoided seeing a doctor due to financial burdens from her and her husband losing their pensions. Muffley passed away in 2012 after complications from cancer.
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 percent 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.