NEA-Retired President, Anita Gibson
NEA-Retired is governed by a nine-member Executive Council, elected by NEA-Retired members. NEA-Retired members serve on various committees within NEA and meet annually in June to conduct the business of the organization.
NEA Retired updates: On GPO/WEP
As the current president of NEA-Retired, I talk with retired and active educators all across the United States. I love it when they share their stories. I recently spoke with an educator who began her career at age 45, after raising four children and taking care of a sick husband. She will get nothing from the Social Security contributions she made during several years before her children were born. Additionally, she'll receive nothing in widow’s benefits after her late husband contributed to Social Security at the highest levels for almost 30 years.
Other educators will be forced to survive at poverty levels because they chose careers in the helping professions after their children are grown. We must change the course we are currently on. The bipartisan success we are experiencing with record breaking co-sponsors in both the U.S. House and Senate for the repeal of GPO/WEP is a direct result of our ability to help elect members of Congress who care about our current and future retirees.
By Anita Gibson, Alabama
NEA-Retired President
(Excerpted and edited, in part, from the August 2024 issue of The Clarion)
