Illinois lawmakers voted yesterday to sharply reduce the pensions
of active and retired state and university employees and teachers,
despite tens of thousands of phone calls and legislative office visits
by union members in the final days, and hours of emotional,
back-and-forth debate on the floors of the state House and Senate.
"This is no victory for Illinois, but a dark day for its citizens and public servants,” the AFSCME Council 31-led We Are One Illinois
union coalition said in a statement after the votes. “Teachers,
caregivers, police, and others stand to lose huge portions of their life
savings because politicians chose to threaten their retirement
security.”
The passage of the bill amounts to a cash grab of $100 billion taken
directly from public employees who were promised these benefits by the
state, and that they earned over the course of their careers in public
service. The measure raises the retirement age up to five years for many
state workers and scales back the size of and even skips some annual
cost-of-living increases for retirees.
"A majority of legislators ignored and defied their oaths of office
today,” We Are One said, referring to the passage of the bill that many
believe violates the state’s constitution.
In fact, Senate President John Cullerton, whose earlier union-backed
plan to curb pension spending was stymied by House Speaker Michael
Madigan, said he remained concerned.
"I think the bill has serious constitutional problems,” said
Cullerton. “I've made that clear from the start, but now it's in front
of the court and they can decide.”
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