Reports coming out of the meetings in Springfield between Illinois’ top political leaders resembles a falling out among thieves.
Senate President John Cullerton, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross want quick action on a bill that would reduce teacher benefits including cost of living adjustments.
Cullerton already pushed a bill through the Illinois Senate that went after the cost of living adjustments for legislative and state employees.
This is the bill that was supported by Park Ridge Senator Dan Kotowski and my own Senator Iris Martinez.
Cullerton thinks this can be done quickly and easily to the teacher pension plan and that they can address the cost shift at a later time.
But one-term Governor Pat Quinn and Democratic Party chief Mike Madigan have not moved off of their demand to shift pension costs to the local districts.
Both these solutions portend a disaster for retired teachers.
But the Quinn/Madigan cost shift plan has already had a dramatic impact on active teachers. For those engaged in local bargaining it has meant that school boards are in many cases offering no salary increases and multi-year COLA and step freezes.
While the cost of living for teachers is not exactly holding steady, with health insurance costs continuing to rise, wage freezes, step freezes and freezes on lane movements (such as that being proposed by the CPS board) are creating financially untenable situations for teachers.
I would look for a wave of teacher strikes in the Fall just based on local school board concerns about a cost shift.
Fred Klonsky 
Fred,
You mention strike in your comment. If you can get these west suburban school teachers off their asses to even talk about a strike more power to you. I have never seen a worse bunch of lemmings in my life. They are ready to just walk into a black hole and give up all their rights without a fight. The apathy out here is off the charts. We could use all the help you can muster.
Frankly BT, nothing you have been posting shows much respect for the people you work with. Maybe that’s the problem. Everyone is apathetic but you? Everyone is a lemming but you? Nobody will get off their asses but you? Hmmmmm. I don’t think so. Want help? Try talking to some of your colleagues without a chip on your shoulder.
I have to agree with Broke Teacher. I am running into the same amount of apathy in my school. I am a union rep. and nothing I do seems to motivate the teachers to do much. I have to ride them to make calls to our legislators, I send numerous e-mails to them but get no response. Many of them don’t show up to our union meetings. I don’t think Broke Teacher has a chip on his shoulder. I am experiencing much of the same.
Fred Fred, you’re taking me to the whipping post, and I am such a fan of yours. I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, but what you do see in my writings is total and complete frustration with my collegues….. Talk to my collegues you say? Believe me, I have talked till I’m blue in the face. Not much respect for my co-workers you say? I purposely write provacative messages to get some type of response from them, any response!
I have tried to cautiously spread the word on your blog, and quietly hint at how the IEA has done nothing to help us, and, while under the radar, have pointed out how the state, both Dems and Repubs, have deserted us. Instead, I have found that so few of my collegues are aware of how bad this situation is, that is difficult to comprehend. Indeed my collegues are overwhelmingly agreeing with the bad contracts being thrown at us, no raises, longer school days, longer school years, shorter summers, shorter contract periods,7:00AM meetings (working well past contract times) …. and on and on and on…
So, I said apathy runs rampant out here…. Is that too harsh? What would you call it if bunches of your coworkers are only realizing today that tenure for all intents and purposes is gone. Or, if they are completely unaware that the state is trying to get a referendum through that would allow “new language” in the state constitution to supercede old language so the state can cut our benefits at will. What would you call this teacher lack of attention to these crazy state decisions that will so heavily, negatively impact their futures?
Like you, I can only do so much, and I’m proud to say that I do have a small group of teachers who follow me (and you, as I have spread the word a bit). But it is hardly enough. And as I have written in previous blogs, I and my coworkers have to fly well under the radar for fear of reprisals from administrators and teachers who have drunk the cool-ade.
Lemmings I said? Hmmm, yes, I have to stay with that as those who choose to stick their head in the sand, or say, “just let it go”…. well, sorry, but I don’t know what else to call them.
I will contiue to loyaly follow your blog,and though you have beat me up a bit, I feel you are our best hope for educating teachers, encouraging teachers to organize, and who knows, maybe someday rise up and form a new union, or at least STRIKE!!!!!!
Perhaps I was too harsh. None of this is easy. Keep talking. We will figure it out.
This system is a lot more messed up than many people think. Whenever you are all ready to stand with your brothers and sisters that are able to take direct action your union may not be able to, let Occupy Chicago know. We don’t all agree with an end-game, but we all agree on our enemy, and a general framework of how our money could/should be spent.
We are all brothers here. And blood’s is thicker than water. Congratulations on your retirement, Fred. And it’s not like we retirees haven’t paid up our dues, or anything like that. If you’re all unhappy with your union position, by all means resign, and shut up with that talk out of school ,you’re not helping anybody that way. Unions are not sophistries, or soviet collectives, or the fictions of Mario Puzo. They’re our posse, kin, and crib and the only viable solution extant available to those who choose to exercise it. They get our jobs back when we get fired for rolling our eyes up. It’s really not the numbers that matter, so as it is our sublime solidarity, and our God given right to be here that must prevail. The whole country has gone mad as a rabid dog, who is our Atticus Finch? A strike is nothing other that a voluntary withholding of ones labor. And what do we call those who cannot voluntarily withhold their labor? Slaves.