Michoacán Congress to Reconsider President Sheinbaum’s “Golden Pension” Reduction Reform

ByDalia Villegas Moreno

This article by Dalia Villegas Moreno originally appeared in the June 3, 2026 edition of Quadratin Michoacán.

Morelia, Michoacán. The president of the Michoacán Congress, Baltazar Gaona García (PT – Workers Party), considered it necessary to rethink and analyze the effects of the federal reform that put an end to the so-called golden pensions, after retirees from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) denounced economic damages derived from its application and demanded the restitution of rights acquired during their working life.

At a press conference held at the headquarters of the Legislative Branch, representatives of retirees from Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco expressed that the reform has generated significant reductions in the pensions of retired workers, a situation that, they affirmed, affects thousands of families in the country.

After listening to the arguments, Gaona García acknowledged that the discontent stems from a constitutional reform approved to limit so-called golden pensions, but admitted that there are sectors that consider themselves harmed by its effects.

“We recognize that this reform also reached this Congress, and we also approved it here, but these types of demands being made today should lead us to reconsider and analyze how beneficial this reform has been,” he said.

The legislator pointed out that, although it is a federal provision, it is important that the voices of retirees be heard by those who have the power to review the regulatory framework.

Therefore, he pledged to facilitate meetings with federal deputies so that they can directly learn about the concerns of retired workers.

“I commit to finding a way to have a meeting with federal deputies so they can listen to you, because this is a reform at the federal level,” he said.

The retirees were represented by Fabián Tinoco Cisneros and Rodrigo Fernando Valdés, who claimed to speak on behalf of approximately 95,000 families grouped in the National Alliance of Retirees, an organization that includes former workers of the CFE, Pemex, Luz y Fuerza del Centro and other state-owned companies.

Tinoco argued that the modifications applied to pensions violate acquired rights and contravene the constitutional principle of non-retroactivity of the law.

“The pensions that are being stolen from us today and the rights that are being violated today are not concessions under review. They are res judicata. They have been recognized, consolidated, and validated by the highest courts in the country,” he stated.

He also described the reduction of benefits obtained after decades of work as an “institutionalized robbery” and warned that pensioners are prepared to use all legal means and peaceful mobilization to defend their rights.

For his part, Rodrigo Fernando Valdés asserted that there are retired workers who have seen their income significantly reduced.

“We are here to demand justice for the pensioners who had half of their pensions stolen, and for those 20,000 families who have been affected in some way,” he stated.

The representative noted that the reduction in income has placed many senior citizens in difficult economic conditions, to the point of facing difficulties in acquiring medications or covering basic expenses.

During the meeting, the retirees gave Baltazar Gaona a book that compiles testimonies from retired workers affected by the reform, a document that was previously also given to the Presidency of the Republic.

Although he avoided commenting on possible specific changes to federal legislation, the Speaker of the House maintained that the demands expressed by retirees warrant a serious review of the scope and consequences of the reform.

“I believe it’s worthwhile to find a way to resolve this demand that the workers are making,” he concluded.