CODAA has received the following information from We Are One Illinois regarding the recent move to ‘reform’ contributions and benefits to public employee pensions, which includes TRS and SURS:
Your voices have been heard! Thanks to your hard work, SB 512, the legislative vehicle to slash pensions for public employees, was once again stopped in its tracks—for now.
Tens of thousands of calls and emails poured into Springfield from working men and women across the state, demonstrating our collective strength and solidarity. In addition, we joined together to rally in the Capitol to protect public employee pensions. As a result, although SB 512 was released by a House committee, it was not called for a vote on the floor.
Never doubt the power of your voice.
But we are not out of the woods. Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene for a special session on November 29. While we do not expect lawmakers to bring SB 512 to a vote at that time, we are poised to act quickly if that should change.
Our message remains the same. Any solution must address the heart of the problem: the failure of politicians to make the required contributions to the retirement systems, even as public employees paid their share on time, every time.