Do I really need to go into why there is a problem with Illinois public employee pensions again?
Is it something the employees did? Is the average teacher pension of roughly $40,000 a year too greedy? Do teachers also get to draw on their social security and their pension like those in the private sector? Did we fail to meet our payment obligations as TRS members?
No, no, no and no.
Did the state’s leaders fail to meet their obligations over the past decades ending up with a debt to the system now in excess of $85 billion?
Oh, yes.
There are now several bills in the Illinois legislature all aimed at punishing state employees, including teachers, with radical changes to the our retirement systems.
I’m constantly stopped by colleagues who are literally terrified of what will happen to them in retirement. What will happen to the retirement dollars they were promised when they chose a teaching career over something that would have paid them more in the private sector.
Illinois Democratic Speaker of the House Mike Madigan hinted at what the answer to that question was yesterday.
“I think we will take some action on the benefit level for state workers midstream,” Madigan said during an impromptu meeting with reporters on the House floor after his legislative chamber adjourned.
The Illinois Education Association’s Capitol Report describes the legislation that Madigan is looking to enact.
Two pieces of legislation have been introduced.
Identical pieces of legislation, HB 149, sponsored by Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego) and SB 105, sponsored by Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora), allow current TRS and SURS members to make an irrevocable election to do one of the following:
To remain in the current pension plan an active TRS member must pay a minimum of 19.5% of their salary. Currently, active TRS members pay 9.4% of their salary and the total cost of the current TRS benefit equals an estimated 18.4% of salary. The legislation also requires an additional percentage of salary that is currently undeterminable.
To choose participation in the 2-tier pension benefit plan that passed last year (retirement at age 67, reduced COLA, reduced final average salary). The member would be required to pay 6% of salary (currently, 9.4% of salary in TRS). TRS has determined that the actual cost of the 2-tier benefit is an estimated 5-6% of salary. In essence, there is no employer contribution required and the members fund their own pension.
The option to participate in a defined contribution plan (401-K style plan). The member would pay 6% of salary and so would the state. Members would be required to direct their own investments.
For current teachers hired before the two tier system was enacted January 1st, these bills would be a disaster to themselves and their families.
Emails must be sent.
Fred Klonsky 
Divide and conquer, Fred. The idea of teacher solidarity is so frightening to the power nerds, they will resort to any tacit. This tactic was used by the Reagan adminstration against the Postal workers to create caste systems designed to cause future damage to workers by setting them against each others. War is hell.
War is hell. A one sided war is even more hellish.
Yes, luckly you’re a art teacher so you’ll always take the aesthetics for granted. In truth, how do you possibly teach civics, economics, or even mathematics under these political conditions? The kids must in a awful bind. They can add, too.