Members of the Park Ridge Education Association met yesterday with State Senator Dan Kotowski who represents Park Ridge and the north west suburbs.
Kotowski is supportive of teachers and seemed surprised that our members did not agree with what our union leadership had done in negotiations around SB7.
That the leadership of the three teacher unions, the IEA, the IFT, and the CTU would agree to surrender basic contractual bargaining rights like seniority protection and strike notification without the consent or knowledge of the rank and file membership probably surprised him as much as it angered us.
But we did not linger long on that topic.
Our immediate concern was what the General Assembly might do to active and retired teacher pensions before they adjourn at the end of May.
Kotowski wanted our members to know that he was instrumental in ensuring that payment of the state’s pension obligation for next year was taken care of and on the governor’s desk. It would not be a part of the politics of negotiating the rest of the state budget.
What can be counted on, through no fault of Kotowski, is that GOP and anti-union ideologues will blame the teacher pension payment for any and all cuts in other state funded programs.
Meanwhile I have received word that House GOP leader, Tom Cross, now has 54 votes in favor of legislation that would affect all pensions–retired and active teacher pensions.
IFT Lobby Day is Tuesday. IEA Lobby Day is Wednesday. The pension issue is urgent. Be in Springfield on one of those days..
Fred Klonsky 