HOD Pension Woes

CTU Officials Put Lipstick on Pension Pig
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Teachers Union tried to put its best face on an otherwise dismal situation confronting the fate of public pensions for city and state workers.

Last week the state legislature passed a pension relief bill into law that union officials estimate can cut up to 50% of a future retirees pension benefits through lower cost of living adjustments and increase the retirement age for future employees.

State officials are claiming it will save up to $160 billion in future pension payments.

While Chicago teachers were temporarily spared, the mayor is dedicated to following suit to slash Chicago teacher pension benefits.

"Why didn't the pension cuts include us," CTU President Karen Lewis rhetorically asked the delegates at the House of Delegates meeting last week.  "That was a win for us."

It is highly debatable that this current legislation that did not include Chicago for now was a win for anyone.  

For one, it is expected that Gov. Pat Quinn will sign onto this major pension relief bill, despite the threat of lawsuits from the unions who were not included in the negotiations, according to the corporate media.

Two, the unions are puffing their chests out and vowing to fight the governor and democrats behind this legislation.  However, they acknowledge they would not like to see Republican challenger and multi-millionaire Bruce Rauner become the next governor.

"Rauner said to vote no," Lewis said.  "Because it didn't go far enough."

So Chicago is next.

"I don't understand why the highways weren't clogged," Lewis said at the meeting.  "People expect us to mobilize."

Legislators told union officials they were surprised that CTU people were in Springfield to protest the latest pension theft of the people.  

However, far more action is required if Chicago is to be exempt from this draconian measure against working people's retirement.

"They cut our pensions and gave Archer Daniels Midland a corporate subsidy," Lewis further noted.  "I've said it all along, it's a revenue crisis."

Lewis continues to woo the delegates with playful anecdotes, and handles the questions with a flare and sense of confidence.

While the CTU is continue to play the dirty inside game by keeping its options open with the democratic machine that Emanuel, Madigan and others are a part of, they continue to fight the fight against charter schools.  The previous union UPC leadership not only refused to fight charters, they embraced them, saying they are our friends, despite the fact they are union busting operations.

The CTU is organizing mobilization against the next round of charter school proposals on the northwest and southwest side of the city.

A resolution against standardized assessments for special education students was passed at the HOD meeting.

"Whereas, in many cases standardized assessments do not accurately measure the progress of students with special needs because these students are not performing at grade level or have disabilities that inhibit their ability to complete standardized assessments in the same manner as their non-disabled peers," part of the resolution which passed unanimously read.

During the Q&A period, one teacher asked if opting out of the standardized testing at CPS was possible if the tests determine grade promotion.  

The CTU said only students in the 3rd, 6th and 8th grade need to pass the standardized test in the spring for promotion purposes. That means students do not need to take these tests in the fall or winter.