ON EARNED BENEFITS

WHEREAS, the word "entitlements" is often misused in a pejorative sense regarding Social Security and Medicare to wrongly imply that these programs are costly government handouts and not hard-earned benefits paid for by recipients over a lifetime in the workforce; and

WHEREAS, in contrast to the erroneous claims by some elected officials that retirees receive more in benefits than they have paid through contributions to the programs, the fact is that Social Security and Medicare are similar to insurance policies in that some people will benefit more from the programs due to their living longer while some will benefit less or not at all because of their dying at an early age; and

WHEREAS, those who denigrate Social Security and Medicare as entitlements also attack Medicaid in their attempt to shrink or eliminate our nation's social safety net for vulnerable Americans, whom organized labor and its progressive allies have fought for decades to help; and

WHEREAS, as American workers and retirees fight to protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare as we know them, it is important to keep in mind that we have earned and made sacrifices for these benefits:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will work with all of its locals to educate its members and the public on the need to end this inaccurate and misleading use of the word "entitlements" and replace it with the term "earned benefits" to acknowledge that Social Security and Medicare benefits are earned through a lifetime of work and sacrifice.