When I received Ed Rosenthal’s letter last week describing how IEA President Ken Swanson pushed through some crap at the Board of Director’s meeting about changing our legislative platform permitting the taxing of retiree pensions, I wondered, “What is that SOB, Swanson, up to?”
The representative of the retirees on the BOD opposed it. That meant nothing to Ken, whose lack of responsiveness to the rank-and-file is the stuff of legend.
Last RA, the student chapter pleaded with Ken not to change the legislative platform on the issue of a two-tier pension. The RA passed Ken’s proposal. A week later, with a green light from the IEA, Boss Madigan created a two-tier pension system.
Eh, they’re only kids. In 44 years when they want to retire and they’re 67 years old, and if there is still a pension system, and it sucks, will they remember it was Ken who screwed them? Nah.
Now it is the retirees who are in the firing line.
And who is next? The active, working teachers, of course. And I’ve heard nothing from the candidates who are running to replace Ken that things will be different.
Man, if you think teaching in Indiana and Wisconsin looks tough these days, wait until this legislative session gets done with us. And with a union leadership that mainly is looking down at their shoes.
So, what’s up with the pension deal?
There is a post in CapitolFax that got my attention.
The Senate Democrats’ chief legal counsel Eric Madiar has analyzed state pension law and comes to the conclusion that our pension is a contract, constitutionally protected.
But, says Madiar, like any contract, it can be bargained.
However, there is a way to change those benefits. And it involves that new national bugaboo word “collective bargaining”…
(W)hile the Clause bars the General Assembly from adversely changing the benefit rights of current employees via unilateral action, these rights are “contractual” in nature and may be modified through contractual principles. In sum, while welching on public pension promises is not an option for Illinois as some legal and civic commentators have suggested, legitimate contract principles provide a solution to mitigate this crisis.
That looks to be the Senate Democrats’ stance for the spring session: It’s up to the governor to negotiate any pension changes with the public worker unions.
Translation: What the RA will be discussing only seems like part of the legislative platform. It may well be our bargaining position with the governor. And who we elect will be who will be bargaining for us.
Holy crap. That should keep any IEA rank-and-file member from having a good night’s sleep for a while.
Fred Klonsky 