Pension Action Days kick off
After nearly 2,000 union members turned out in force Thursday at the state Capitol to fight Gov. Pat Quinn’s push to undermine retirement security, AFSCME is calling on members and retirees to turn out on Friday for a second day of lobbying to protect pensions.
Union members will be lobbying throughout the day on Friday, with a major focus on a rally at noon in the Capitol Rotunda. You can come at whatever time works best for you, but be sure to be there at noon for the rally.
Do as much preparation as possible before you arrive at the Capitol:
- Identify who your senator is and where his/her office is. You can find office locations here.
- Make sure you’re up to date on the latest information before talking to your legislators. Read the We Are One Illinois coalition’s fact sheet on public employee pension reform. Become familiar with the coalition’s recommendations, its new study on the flawed plans being considered, and its proposal to close corporate tax loopholes. Click the links above to download everything you’ll need to be informed.
- There is no designated parking for cars, but there is usually ample parking available in the vicinity of the Capitol. Click here for a listing of hourly/daily parking locations in downtown Springfield.
- When you arrive in Springfield, you can pick up lobbying materials at any of three locations beginning at 9:30 AM: Illinois AFL-CIO at 534 S. 2nd St.; IEA (tent) at 100 E. Edwards St., or the in the State Capitol Rotunda at the We Are One information table. Rally signs will also be available at the information table in the Rotunda.
Quinn is pressing the General Assembly to act on his plan to weaken public employee pensions during early January's "lame duck" session. Stopping this effort will require a strong showing from active and retired AFSCME members to convince legislators not to go along with Quinn's plan.
Quinn's pension proposal would change the way the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated, drastically reducing its value over time.
A bipartisan group of state legislators has also unveiled a pension reform plan that the We Are One Illinois coalition found has "significant problems" but represents a real attempt to move the conversation forward. The details of that plan are still being analyzed.
Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn's latest move on pensions has been to compare the problem to a cartoon snake, "Squeezy," that has been roundly criticized for failing to take the issue seriously or offer a real solution.
Active and retired AFSCME members succeeded earlier this year in stopping Quinn's plan in its tracks. It's time to do it again and push for a real solution that respects public workers' service.