{"id":481684,"date":"2010-03-28T10:17:12","date_gmt":"2010-03-28T14:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illinoiseducationassociation.org\/?p=6896"},"modified":"2010-03-28T10:17:12","modified_gmt":"2010-03-28T14:17:12","slug":"lawmakers-urged-to-attack-current-employees%e2%80%99-pensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/481684","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers urged to attack current employees\u2019 pensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The most ironic aspect of last week\u2019s vote to slash pension benefits for future employees was that lawmakers, who often claim education employees try to avoid accountability, voted to punish innocent people for the irresponsible actions of, well, themselves.<\/p>\n

Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, led by Speaker Michael Madigan, rammed SB 1946 though both chambers of the General Assembly. (If your legislators’ name doesn’t appear here<\/a><\/strong>,<\/a><\/strong> he\/she voted for the pension proposal)<\/p>\n

You would think the business interests who pushed for that action, the advocates for Illinois\u2019 \u201chaves,” would be happy.\u00a0 After all, within a few hours this week, they stuck it, big time, to every future state employee, including public school teachers, higher education faculty and support staff.<\/p>\n

But no.\u00a0 The members of Illinois\u2019 loudest unoppressed minority are not happy<\/a><\/strong>. From Crain’s:<\/p>\n

Taking benefits away from workers who don’t exist yet is politically easy. Cutting the benefits of existing workers who feel entitled to them is politically hard. Unless Mr. Madigan, state Senate President John Cullerton and Gov. Pat Quinn are willing to face that political risk, pension expenses will bury the state. They can start by requiring current state workers to accept the same terms last week’s legislation imposes on new employees, such as:<\/em><\/p>\n

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