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Delphi pension focus of hearing

A House panel will discuss the effect of company’s move on salaried retirees.

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 1:41 AM Saturday, November 28, 2009

As far as Den Black is concerned, having a congressional hearing focused on Delphi Corp. pensions is critical.

“It’s about 11 out of 10,” said Black, 62, a Piqua native and chairperson of the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association. “We’ve been months and months building our congressional communication, our congressional education, our congressional support.”

The U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor will host a hearing Wednesday, Dec. 2, on how Delphi’s surrender of its pensions to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. last summer (PBGC) affects retirees.

An Oct. 29 Senate hearing explored pensions in general without focusing on Delphi pensions, Black noted. But next week’s hearing will focus on what he calls the “Delphi debacle.”

Black’s hope is that the event will lead to a “remedy” for Delphi retirees. As the PBGC takes over Delphi pensions, salaried retirees expect a sharp cut in pensions. General Motors Corp. — which once owned Delphi — has pledged to make whole the pensions of hourly retirees.

No one from the Dayton area has been invited to testify, but Kettering resident Tom Rose, a Delphi salaried retiree, plans to attend the hearing on Capitol Hill. The moment is remarkable considering that the DSRA “wasn’t even a group seven months ago.”

“We want results,” Rose said. “Our theme has been all along that we want fair and equitable treatment.”

DSRA is suing the PBGC, the federal Automotive Task Force, the U.S. Treasury and GM in Michigan federal court for “funding those pensions fully,” Black said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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