Pension killer retreat. There’s got to be a morning after.

Yesterday afternoon we grilled some chicken. I tossed back my favorite summer drink. Compari and soda. We raised a toast to the public employees of Illinois who kicked butt yesterday.

Beating Michael Madigan and the Civic Committee is my definition of a good day.

Okay. That’s done.

Now let’s move on to the next stage.

Some morning after thoughts:

I so agree with my blogging pal Tim Furman at School Tech Connect.

The work is just starting. We’re way, way past the point where we can rely solely on the centralized communication system that has us frantically sending postcards every time a disaster looms. We need to be aware of who is represented by whom so that we can build an actual grass roots.

While the IEA leadership has been quick to take credit for the Civic Committee’s set back in stealing our pensions, they way overstate their role.

I would ask rank-and-file activists around the state, how much real contact have you had with IEA staff over the past few weeks? Some robo-calls from Ken Swanson. Posts on Facebook. Appeals to send and collect postcards. The very same tactics that resulted in the failed attempt to mobilize the membership during last Fall’s veto session.

I love the sentiment of former IEA President, Bob Haisman:

WE WON! Regular Classroom teachers calling, visiting, “lobbying” and E-mailing legislators did it! They won the Victory. Not the IEA’s Professional Staff — not IPACE Influence — Not President Obama — But “Regular”, Organized, List Making, Fair Minded, Play by The Rules, Researching, Life Long Learning, Tenacious Teachers stood – up up to the BIG BUCKS of 36 of the Biggest Corporations in Illinois — in the form of Tyrone Fahner’s “Illinois Is Broke”. We stood up to Rep. Cross and Speaker Madigan!

We knew Madigan and Cross’ plan was wrong, not right! We knew they had it flawed plan, a heartless, unfair, wrong-headed, Illegal, unethical plan ….devised by souless greedy CEOs. We were able to convince Representatives on both sides of the aisle to say– ” I will not vote for it.”

Fairness and the “little guy” won over unfairness, the powerful and the greedy.

Savor it. These days do not happen very often…
This is but a battle in the war… but it is a victory!

What won the battle this time were rank-and-file active and retired teachers talking to active and retired teachers, mobilized by local leaders, activists and bloggers. Who can reasonably argue that a leadership that could only get 4,000 emails (IEA membership: 132,000) last Fall to oppose Performance Counts legislation, that called on 5,000 members to show up in Springfield to support the seniority killing Senate Bill 7 and got 2,000 instead, could mobilize 100,000 emails and 100,000 phone calls to stop the pension robbers?

Ridiculous.

And now?

Ken Swanson has already hinted at making a deal this summer. Madigan, Cross and Fahner hinted that a deal could be struck with our leadership in the now infamous letter following their defeat yesterday.

This is exactly what happened after the last veto session. The forces around Stand for Children could not get a bill passed that would restrict our right to strike and destroy our tenure rights.

Instead, they met with our leadership and when our leadership came out of the meeting, they became the Trojan Horse. They became the advocates for the Performance Counts agenda. And we got Senate Bill 7.

Letters, emails and phone calls must now be directed at the IEA leadership. No deals can be cut that would reduce our pension benefits or increase our costs. No deals can be cut that result in taxing our benefits or raising our medical costs for retirees.

The only deal we can accept is one that results in the state meeting their pension obligations.