Update on Illinois Employees Pension Reform

[cdillon]

Update on Pension Reform

From
Shannon Brandon

Yesterday afternoon, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that greatly reduces the hard earned pension benefits for active and retired state employees. This was the culmination of several years of struggle where the state had sought to place the burden of the unfunded state retirement systems onto the backs of the employees themselves.

The Illinois FOP State Lodge initially fought beside the Firefighter’s Association and another police association to hold back these attempts. We soon decided to reach out to other labor groups that ultimately made up the much larger “We Are One” coalition. Together with the teachers’ unions, nurses’ association, AFSCME, and the AFL-CIO a huge media and “grass-roots” campaign was conducted for more than two years. House Republican Leader, Tom Cross called the coalition’s campaign the greatest organized opposition to a piece of legislation he had ever seen.

Although credit and compliments were heaped on the several legislators, committees and working groups that took part in the struggle, lawmakers acknowledged that, in the end, it was the leaders of the General Assembly who drove the process. Cullerton, the Senate president, said the governor “did just barely enough” to help get the pension bill passed.

In fact, the vote in both the House and Senate were just barely enough to pass the bill. The Senate passed SB 1 on a vote of 30 to 24, and just minutes later, the House passed it 62 to 53.

See how your legislator voted:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehis ... 05000R.pdf

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehis ... 06000R.pdf

Immediately after the vote, both chambers promptly adjourned and the capitol building began to empty. In the wings of the House chambers, Speaker Madigan stated that he believed the legislation would be upheld by the Supreme Court, but would not make a guess as to how soon that decision would come. Senate President John Cullerton disagreed, “There are some provisions in the bill that were added by the Republicans that make it less constitutional, there’s no question about that.”

Senator Kirk Dillard said he thought the vote on the 300-plus paged bill was rushed. He said he felt compelled to reluctantly vote “No”. There is speculation that his vote against pension reform was in hope of maintaining good relations with organized labor in his run for Governor. The senator denied those rumors in the Sun-Times Newspaper.

The We Are One coalition published the following press release:

“Teachers, caregivers, police, and others stand to lose huge portions of their life savings because politicians chose to threaten their retirement security, rather than pass a much fairer, legal, negotiated solution in Senate Bill 2404.

It’s bitterly ironic that, on the same day legislators used the state’s troubled finances to justify stealing the retirement savings of public servants, they approved millions of dollars in new tax giveaways for big corporations like ADM.

A narrow majority of legislators ignored their oaths of office, to defend the Illinois Constitution—but Governor Pat Quinn doesn’t have to. He can stay true to his oath by vetoing this unfair, unconstitutional bill. If he doesn’t, our union coalition will take legal action to uphold the Illinois Constitution and protect workers’ life savings."

A letter requesting a veto has already been sent to the Governor and the We Are One lawyers are preparing the request for a court ordered stay on the legislation. Attorney John Stephens, who was present for the voting said, “[if it should happen] we will file our papers the day after the Governor signs the bill into law.”

Illinois Fraternal Order of Police

4341 Acer Grove, Suite B

Springfield, IL 62711

www.ilfop.org