From my friend Glen Brown’s blog:
“The lawsuit names Quinn, Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System’s (TRS) board of trustees as defendants and seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. It was filed as a class action, representing retired and active members of TRS, who are not currently members of any teachers’ labor union” (Reuters).It’s the way the law works: IRTA is suing TRS Board. Why? The Board will become administrators of the law.Is the fact that Klickna is both president of IEA and a TRS trustee a conflicting and disadvantageous set of circumstances for herself, as well as for members of both the IEA and TRS?
Read the entire post here.
Fred Klonsky 
It’s too bad that all the legislators past and present who voted for pension holidays knowing it would short the pension system can’t have a lawsuit filed against them for fraud, theft, or whatever. I’m disgusted by the emails I’ve gotten since the last month’s vote from legislators who openly admit the wrongdoing done to state retirees by their actions or by their predecessors yet we’re treated like we’re the criminals in “why IL is broke.” I’m tired of being told that if we don’t like our legislators then vote them out. Easier said than done, especially if your legislator is Madigan. Plain and simple our state legislators broke the law. They should be above the law, not sidestepping it.
The law would not recognize a conflict of interest where a party is sued in his or her official capacity alone. So this is a red herring.
The issue raised here is more than just about what the law defines as a conflict of interest. The roles of leading our union and sitting on the TRS board are different – sometimes converging – sometimes diverging. To claim concern for this is a red herring is closing your eyes to a problem. It is still there when you open them again.