Retired Teachers Threaten To Sue Over Pension Changes
From the Chicago Tribune
Senate President John Cullerton says one good reason to support his pension reform plan is that the unions won't sue because they're in on the deal, but already a group of retired teachers is prepared to go to court if the proposal becomes law.
The Illinois Retired Teachers Association, a group of 35,000 former public school teachers and educators, has fired off 5,000 emails expressing its opposition as the Cullerton plan comes up for votes in the Senate this week amid questions about whether it would save enough money.
"Promises made should be kept," said Jim Bachman, the association's executive director. "If the bill were to pass and were signed into law, it would be our intent to file a lawsuit."
Bachman noted the Cullerton legislation "may be less draconian" than the pension overhaul Speaker Michael Madigan pushed through the House last week to shore up a pension system approaching $100 billion in debt, but it "still fails the test of constitutionality."
Cullerton has maintained his proposal is constitutionally sound while acknowledging that anyone can file a lawsuit. Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said Tuesday that the difference is the unions won't sue over the Cullerton plan and they would over the Madigan plan. AFL-CIO Illinois President Michael Carrigan threw the weight of a coalition of unions representing state workers behind the Cullerton plan, saying the negotiated proposal represented the group's "bottom line."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Tribune
Senate President John Cullerton says one good reason to support his pension reform plan is that the unions won't sue because they're in on the deal, but already a group of retired teachers is prepared to go to court if the proposal becomes law.
The Illinois Retired Teachers Association, a group of 35,000 former public school teachers and educators, has fired off 5,000 emails expressing its opposition as the Cullerton plan comes up for votes in the Senate this week amid questions about whether it would save enough money.
"Promises made should be kept," said Jim Bachman, the association's executive director. "If the bill were to pass and were signed into law, it would be our intent to file a lawsuit."
Bachman noted the Cullerton legislation "may be less draconian" than the pension overhaul Speaker Michael Madigan pushed through the House last week to shore up a pension system approaching $100 billion in debt, but it "still fails the test of constitutionality."
Cullerton has maintained his proposal is constitutionally sound while acknowledging that anyone can file a lawsuit. Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said Tuesday that the difference is the unions won't sue over the Cullerton plan and they would over the Madigan plan. AFL-CIO Illinois President Michael Carrigan threw the weight of a coalition of unions representing state workers behind the Cullerton plan, saying the negotiated proposal represented the group's "bottom line."
Read more in our daily News Update...