IMRF participants: Protect the 13th check!
New legislation in the General Assembly threatens to severely weaken the retirement security of thousands of public employees. Act now to tell lawmakers to oppose this unfair and unconstitutional bill!
Sponsored by Rep. Deborah Conroy (D-Villa Park), House Bill 3898, House Amendment 1 (HB 3898, HA 1) is the latest assault on the retirement security of public employees. It would eliminate the "13th check" paid to retired local government employees outside of Chicago and Cook County whose pension is administered by the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). You can view or download a fact sheet below.
The House Personnel and Pensions Committee has moved the bill to the floor. It’s vital that all state representatives hear from AFSCME members and retirees NOW.
Call your state rep using our Click-to-Call tool
or dial 888-912-5959, the toll-free AFSCME hotline
IMRF pension payments include only a simple-interest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) – no compounding, which would help retirees better keep pace with inflation. The 13th check helps compensate for the lack of a compounded COLA and only exists because of a hard-fought battle by public employees and retirees in 1992.
Now, however, the same forces that pushed for cuts to pensions for state and university employees are trying to eliminate the 13th check. The committee that will discuss the proposal to eliminate the payment is chaired by Elaine Nekritz, who last year helped push through SB 1, the "pension theft" bill affecting state and university employees. AFSCME Council 31 and the We Are One Illinois union coalition have sued to have that bill overturned.
Like SB 1, House Amendment 1 is unfair and unconstitutional. It cuts pension benefits the state constitution declares cannot be “diminished or impaired.”
There's no justification for this attack on IMRF retirees. The 13th check is extremely modest – just $343 on average last year – and unlike other public pension funds in Illinois, the IMRF is healthy and extremely well-funded. Rep. Conroy's HB 3898, HA 1 is simply part of the ongoing assault on retirement security fueled by misinformation and scare tactics.
Whether you are an active or retired IMRF participant, take action TODAY to stop this legislation in its tracks. Call your state representative at 888-912-5959. Tell them: “I earned and paid into my modest pension from every paycheck. IMRF is fully funded today. There is no justification for this unfair and unconstitutional attack on my pension. Vote NO on HB 3898, HA 1.”
Rep. Conroy claims she will amend the bill and bring it back to committee before trying to pass it on the floor. But we can’t let up. We have seen far too many examples of politicians saying one thing and doing another, especially when our retirement security is at stake. And whatever tweaks might be made to this legislation don’t change the fact that any unilateral pension cuts are unconstitutional and unfair.