Bartle Hall was busy Tuesday night, filled with hundreds of retired workers whose pensions could be cut if the U.S. Treasury accepts an application from the Central States Pension Plan.
More than 400,000 people would be affected nationwide, some 32,000 in Missouri alone. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II says 3,559 of those would come from his district alone with pensions totaling $350 million.
"It just infuriated me. One because I was a part of creating the problem along with every other member of the House and Senate that voted to support the budget a couple of years ago and didn't know it," Cleaver II said.
The Kline-Miller Multi-Employer Pension Reform Act of 2014 allows a pension fund to reduce benefits temporarily or permanently if they do not have the money to support it. The congressman says it only passed because there was a lack of regular order, which includes committee and hearings, adding, "If hearings had been held, this would not have happened."
About 100 retired workers registered to speak directly to Ken Feinberg, the special master for the implementation of the Kline-Miller law in the eighth and final meeting about the application, which was filed in January.
Feinberg says there have been three major objections to the application:
1. The proposed cuts won't save the plan.
2. Worker pensions would be cut at different percentages.
3. Tabulation of votes is not equitable.
Feinberg told attendees that his feedback has been "that failure to return the ballot is counted as a yes in favor of the submission and that's not fair."
The department will continue its review of the application with conference calls every Monday at 3 p.m. ET. A comment period is also open online through the end of February.
When asked the criteria for approval or rejection, a spokesman told 41 Action News the plan for cuts only has to meet requirements set by Congress.
Cleaver says that is not enough. "Something went awry and these people in here deserve to know what happened. I think all of the people in this country ought to be angry," Cleaver II said. "This is so significant, we might need to have a march on Washington if Congress doesn't act, and every presidential candidate henceforth should be asked at a debate, 'What will you do as president of the United States to correct this problem?'"
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Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
