Democratic Party teacher pension killer, Michael Madigan.
All week we have been busting our butts to mobilize our members, their families and friends to stop what is now called Senate Bill 512. The bill would drastically change teacher pensions in the state and set the stage for doing away with public employee pensions as we know them.
Our work been effective. SB 512 has for the moment stalled in committee. There are 10 days left in the current session of the General Assembly. That is plenty of time for the bill to go forward. Any retreat from the massive pushback of rank-and-file teachers from across Illinois will give GOP leader Tom Cross and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan the opening they need.
This has primarily been a movement at the base of the IEA. Local leaders. Retired members. Region chairs. This has been where the action is.
The IEA leadership has played a positive role to be sure. Money that delegates approved for media at the RA has been spent on highly effective radio and TV ads in the Chicago market. I received a robo-call on Wednesday from Ken Swanson urging me to call my House and Senate representatives.
Done that.
But stopping this attack on our pension system is not mainly a media campaign. It had to be, and is, a grass-roots campaign by teachers who saw that the attack was real and that it would cause real damage to their lives and the lives of their families. Those facts had to be delivered, and still need to be delivered through face to face conversations. Not mainly through robo-calls by Ken Swanson. Not by staff, who in my experience, have been highly invisible.
The real effective work has been done by one teacher to another. By activist retirees who have traveled on their own time, at their own expense, to meetings around the state.
At a Region 36 gathering Wednesday night, former IEA President Bob Haisman, not speaking officially for the IEA, fired up a room of 30 local leaders. It was like old times.
We can’t stop now. The voice mail boxes of House members fill by noon. Call early in the morning. 1 888-412-6570.
Something must be said about the message I received today from the IEA chief lobbyist Jim Reed.
The education reform bill, SB 7, has passed both chambers. We are still waiting on a trailer bill to catch up to the main bill which will resolve some technical issues that affect collective bargaining.
Technical issues?
Originally the IEA leadership hammered any of us who had criticism of Senate Bill 7, which takes away tenure and seniority rights and the right to strike for Chicago teachers, by claiming it was supported by the IEA, the IFT and the CTU. Any criticisms were made to appear as striking at the heart of teacher labor unity.
Then the CTU House of Delegates, made up of 800 school-based union leaders in Chicago, rejected SB7. Then both the CTU and the IFT dropped their support and called for its defeat in the House. What the IEA now calls “technical issues” the CTU says are attacks on very fundamental issues for Chicago teachers.
The IEA stood alone among teacher unions in calling for passing SB7.
No longer does Ken Swanson trumpet the unity of the IEA, the IFT and the CTU. IEA support for this bill has turned into a wedge that splits teacher unions in Illinois.
Fred Klonsky 
WHAT union would support this, and to what end? I just don’t get it Fred.
I am calling every house member this weekend. I called every senator last weekend. You can get their phone numbers by googling Illinois State Representatives or Illinois State Representatives. If no one picks up in Springfield, call their local offices. I tell them that I am not a constituent but I am a teacher, and since they are going to be voting on a measure that will have a drastic effect on my future, they owe me the courtesy of hearing me out. I received several calls back from a few senators and representatives, telling me that they don’t support the SB 512 for teachers currently in the system. I also called and e-mailed Pat Quinn to tell him not to sign HB 7. Come on, everyone! Make those calls, write those e-mails, stop this while we have a chance!
I’ve looked at this Bill and actually read it all the way through. SB512 does not get rid of pensions like many are saying but it does give people an option to choose what type of plan it is whether that be a 401K or other forms of payment. I highly encourage anyone to actually read it and see that this is a good thing!
Tommy, give me a break. . I mean, if you think this plan is so friggin’ great, sign your friggin’ name to a comment. Then we might not have to wonder whether you’re just a paid mouthpiece for the Civic Committee. It’s the exclamation point after “this is a good thing!” that kind of gives your shit away.
This bill was originally pushed by Chicago Democrats. Who do the teacher’s unions give their money to? The Democrat party exclusively. Oh, how stupid they are.
You are wrong. The bill was originally introduced by Republican House Leader Tom Cross. You are also incorrect about IEA contributions. Republican Tom Cross has received large amounts of IPACE money. In fact, IPACE is one of his largest contributors. Now that’s stupid.