Author: Mark Michaels

As I write this, the Illinois State Legislature is putting the final touches on next year’s budget and spending plan. Everything that is being passed is woefully inadequate to safeguard the needs of Illinois citizens. Continue a deficit of at least $7 billion? No problem. Continue to hold off paying bills for six or more months, putting schools and clients of social service agencies in jeopardy? No problem. Needing to fight to get one vote to make the pension payments now even though the decision would save the state $20 billion later?  Standard practice. It doesn’t look much like the state will do anything to save up to 20,000 educator jobs and do the right thing for our children and our most at-risk citizens.

But 20,000 is less than 7% of all the education jobs currently at risk around the U.S. Nationwide, state budget problems are expected to generate over 300,000 educator pink slips this spring.  That represents a major challenge building a quality education  program AND to the fragile economic recovery in this country. That is why the NEA has opened its “Speak Up For Education and Kids” campaign.

The campaign started on Wednesday, May 26 when over 12,000 calls were made to members of Congress. This national call-in urged our representatives to support adding education jobs to an emergency funding bill.  A press conference featuring NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Congressional Committee Chair Congressman Dave Obey (D-Wisconsin) and Congressman George Miller (D-California) highlighted these efforts.

NEA is also running television ads and radio spots in critical media markets. A campaign has also started on Facebook and other social network services. 

It is not too late to participate. You can help save 300,000 teaching jobs – maybe even your own. So while you are working hard lobbying your state legislators to do the right thing in Illinois, take a moment to e-mail or call your member of Congress at 866-608-6355 and the Representative to protect the future of our children by supporting funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill.

When you are done, don’t forget to tell your family and friends to also stand up for the future, and contact their representatives as well.

Upwards of 20,000 educators are expected to be laid-off this summer because of the state legislature’s inability to pass a fair funding bill. Almost 900 pink slipped members from the Edwardsville Regional Office are doing something about it. They have become what I call, The Pink Slip Brigade.

The Brigade’s goal? To impress on their legislators the devastation that is being caused by not passing a real budget.

I don’t use the word, devastation, lightly. The stories that Brigade members are sharing describe how the failure to pass a tax increase will affect all aspects of their lives. Their personal stories include information about their families and their personal finances.

These members’ stories go deeper, showing that their loss impacts everyone in their communities. These cuts affect the quality of education in areas that are already struggling with low real estate tax revenues and other financial problems. The cuts will grow into a downward spiral as those losing their jobs stop shopping in local stores, increase debt, and, ultimately loose their houses through foreclosure. What is really ironic is that, as their problems increase, so will their needs for assistance from the state, putting more pressure on the state’s finances. Hopefully, the legislators will finally realize that the impact is not only on the individuals, but on all of the legislator’s constituents.

Each Brigade member is scheduled to call their legislator 3 times. The first call went out when the pink slips were handed out. The script went something like this:

“I live in your district along with my spouse and one child. My mortgage is $1200 per month and I have to pay a $500 per month car payment. I also am paying back my student loan at $250 per month. I will be out of work May 26 and, after that, will have no income to tax. You are my representative. I need your help.”

The next time the member calls will be on his or her last day of work. The new script will say, “I am your constituent and today was my last day of work. The script will go on as before, ending again with, “You are my representative. I need your help.”  

Assuming that the member is still out of work on the first day of school, s/he will call one more time saying, “I wanted to bring you up to date. I am your constituent. I was laid off from my teaching/support staff position in May and I am still not employed. You are my representative. I need your help. ”

The Edwardsville folk hope that such actions will keep the school funding issue on the front burner for their legislators through the summer. It is a simple plan, and can be followed anywhere in the state. Have you received your pink slip? Why not call your legislator now to let them know about it?

For more information, call the Edwardsville Regional Office

Today, everyone in public education, in fact everyone working in public service, is angry. Last night, literally in the dark of night, the Illinois State Legislature decimated pensions for future public employees – for teachers, ESPs, university employees, public works personnel, child care workers, social workers – for more than 70 percent of those working in public employment.

Citizens of all walks of life think this is good. But as it diminishes our competitiveness for recruiting quality workers, these citizens could see the quality of services, from education to garbage pickup, go down. Then they, too, will be angry.

Tradition has it that we vent our anger by setting up a circular firing squad and shoot at each other. Meanwhile, the bipartisan business powers of this state continue to rake in the dough. There has got to be a better way.

In its attempt to educate our members, this blog and project, have consistently pointed toward a better path. That path is a united demand for fair taxation which can fix the state’s structural deficit and provide for fair and sustainable funding of education, human and public services for the citizens of Illinois.

In short, now is the time to demand passage of House Bill 174. HB 174 is the bill that increases personal and corporate income tax to a level comparable with other states, expands the sales tax to 39 consumer services and reduces the dependency on local real estate taxes to fund vital local services. It is also the first step toward moving us from regressive taxation to progressive taxation.

Some will respond asking why we don’t just support the Governor’s proposed 1 percent tax increase for education. The answer is simple – it is just a band aid. As long as we fail to fix our state’s financial problems, we will battle year in and year out over the same issues. As long as we fail to fix our state’s revenue shortfalls and end our dependency on real estate taxes, we will see RIFs instead of quality public education for every student. And if we just push for money for education, we can expect the same old shell game to continue, using us as the excuse to raise taxes only to spread the funds across the state’s other budget needs.

But most importantly, demanding to fix the state’s financial problems maintains unity with other state and local employees. Only by staying united will we succeed in bringing real and lasting change to this state.

Of course, UNITY is what is central to the idea of unions.  Teachers, ESPs, university employees, public works personnel, child care workers, social workers and others are all our union brothers and sisters. As was first stated more than 100 years ago by the Haymarket martyrs who were fighting the same powers here in Illinois:

“An injury to one, is an injury to all.”

Unity for real change is how we can create a strategic response to channel our anger from yesterday.