Saturday coffee.
Chicago teachers marched past Marshall High School during the strike.
Anne and I took two cars to Peets this morning.
After my latte and bagel I headed off to Marshall High School on Chicago’s west side.
The CTU and other community and parent groups are meeting all day today to talk about the next steps. They are calling it an education summit.
There are issues of funding, curriculum, school closings and charters. And, of course, an elected school board.
The summit began in the beautiful auditorium of Marshall. The building is an architectural gem.
As CTU VP Jesse Sharkey pointed out in his opening speech that Marshall’s well-maintained building stands as
Illinois Retired Teacher Association Executive Director James Bachman on the Nekritz bill.
IRTA Executive Director Jim Bachman wrote this letter to the editor regardng the HB6258, the Nekritz Bill. IRTA members should contact local IEA Region offices to reserve a free seat on one of the buses going to Springfield on January 3rd. The bus from the north suburbs will be leaving Golf Mill around 6AM and returning around 6Pm. Buses from the western suburbs will depart Metea Valley High School, 1801 North Eola Road in Aurora. They leave around 7AM and return around 6PM.
The latest version of Pension “reform” legislation introduced by Representative Nekritz, D-Northbrook is an improbable step backward in efforts to save public pensions.
Foremost in it regression is language that impairs and diminishes the constitutionally-guaranteed pension benefits being received by current retirees. There is one indisputable fact that cannot be
The in box. Glen Brown comments on my post: The impact of benefit cuts.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago
…If legislators can breach contractual obligations through legislation (such as HB 6258), the entire middle class will “pay” the consequences. There will be extensive and devastating economic outcomes for the entire State of Illinois if its public employees are robbed of their earned and constitutionally-guaranteed benefits. The attack on public employees is an attack on [...]
The impact of benefit cuts to legislative districts and the state’s economy.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago
In the latest issue of The Advocate, the publication of the Illinois State University Retirement System (SURS) there is a fascinating chart. It’s a PDF. Scroll down to the chart that shows the benefits received bv SURS members in each state representative and senatorial district. It totals over $1.2 billion. And that is just for [...]
There is no pension benefit crisis.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago
To paraphrase Nobel winning economist and NY Times columnist in his piece this morning, “Let’s get this straight. Illinois is not facing a pension benefit crisis.” There is a state funding crisis. The political leaders of this state, both Republicans and Democrats, refuse to address the fact that they can’t pay their bills by taxing [...]
If you are a public employee, active teacher or retiree in the Chicago north suburbs.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 1 day ago
Pension Rally Springfield Legislators introduced HB 6258 this week. If passed, this legislation will: Increase your Retirement Age Decrease your pay Reduce your Cost of Living Adjustment Join us in rallying at the Capitol on January 3, 2013. A bus will be leaving from the Church Street side of Golf Mill Shopping Center (near [...]
Ten minute drawing. From the US Senate to the Stupid Hall of Fame. A short trip.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago
Click on drawing to enlarge.
Pensions, Rhode Island and get your butt to Springfield.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago
Once again, Glen does a great job of giving us the facts about the Nekritz bill and the other threats to our pensions. And John explains Cash Balance Plans. If these two guys didn’t already exist, I would have to create them in my basement laboratory. When there are these two bloggers at your disposal, [...]
The in box. Glen Brown’s latest on HB 6258.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago
From Glen Brown’s blog: House Bill 6258 Reforms for Tier 1 Members (public employees hired before 2011) · Cost-of-living adjustments apply only to the first $25,000 of the employees’ pension · That limit is reduced to the first $20,000 for employees eligible for Social Security · COLAs are delayed until the employee turns 67 or five years after retirement, [...]
Here are the bill’s sponsors.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago
Here are the sponsors of HB6258 which would destroy pensions for active and retired teachers. If you know one or more of them (and I know some of you do!) call them and express your profound displeasure. Rep. Elaine Nekritz - Daniel Biss - David Harris - Chris Nybo, Kelly Burke, Kelly M. Cassidy, William Cunningham, Robyn Gabel, Ann Williams, Linda Chapa LaVia, William Davis, Sara Feigenholtz, Jehan A. Gordon, Greg Harris, Elizabeth [...]
More Illinois Bizarro World pension news. Where up is down, black is white and Democrats are Republicans.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 2 days ago
Every day brings more evidence that Bizarro World is more than a sixties comic book. It is the state we live in. Recall that in Bizarro World everything is the opposite of the real world. In the real world Democrats appear to be the defenders of social programs, Social Security and Medicare. In the current [...]
Bizarro World Democrat Nekritz’s latest pension killer. She takes pride in her anti-union positions.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 3 days ago
State Representative Elaine Nekritz. A Bizarro World Democrat. Only in Illinois, the Bizarro World of Democratic Party politics, would a Democratic State Representative sit next to a teacher union activist and proclaim proudly that state unions detest her. Yet that is exactly what Representative Elaine Nekritz did at an Illinois Retired Teacher Association luncheon a [...]
Nekritz’s latest pension plan would cost retirees thousands in cost of living adjustments. And that’s just the beginning of the bad stuff.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 3 days ago
Greg Hinz is reporting the latest version of Squeezy the Pension Killing Cobra coming from Representative Nekritz. The state would reduce our cost of living adjustment. What do we get? The state would pay what they owe. Well that’s a win-win, wouldn’t you say? From Crain’s: Specifically, cost-of-living hikes would be limited to the first [...]
Welcome to Bizarro World.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 4 days ago
Back in the sixties there was a comic book called Bizarro World. Also known as Htrae, which is Earth spelled backwards, of course. Everything was backwards in Bizarro World. They followed the Bizzaro Code: ”Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro [...]
Remembering Fred.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 4 days ago
On December 4th, 1969 Chicago Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton was killed in his bed by the Chicago police under the direction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cook County States Attorney Edward Hanrahan. While no official was ever charged or convicted of the crime, the families of Hampton and Mark Clark, also [...]
Get on the bus, Gus! Springfield. January 3rd and 4th.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 4 days ago
Word is slowly getting out regarding plans to stop the attack on public employee pensions by those in the state legislature who call themselves political leaders. I am told that each IEA Region will have buses available for active and retired teachers to go to Springfield January 3rd and 4th during the lame duck session. [...]
Tony at the Red Line Tap
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 4 days ago
“Got any of that IPA from Greenbush in Three Oaks Michigan,” I asked Marty. “Just got a couple of cases in,” she said. “Well, perfect,” I said pulling up a stool. “Hey,” I said to Tony. “It’s been a while.” “For you,” said Tony. “I haven’t moved from this spot in years.” “Some of us [...]
The in box. The IEA and Papa John’s crappy pizza.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 5 days ago
When IEA member Neil Parthun wrote to IEA Director of Communications about their promotion of Papa John’s Pizza, which is owned by anti-union money bags John Schnatter, he received the following reply. “Thank you for your email.We are well aware of the political comments of the owner of Papa John’s. Obviously, his comments not only [...]
The in box. Our pensions assumptions are fine.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 5 days ago
From Glen Brown’s blog. Our Pension Assumptions Are Fine by Dick Ingram, Executive Director of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System To the Wall Street Journal: Your Nov. 23 editorial “Illinois the ‘Unfixable’” doesn’t provide your readers with an accurate view of investments made by the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System. You note that the TRS investment return in [...]
Spain Rodgriquez. RIP.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 5 days ago
Click on image to enlarge. NY Times Obit.
The Sunday Mail.
Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 5 days ago
After two weeks on the road, I’m back to my normal blogging schedule. Anne and I drove to Brooklyn to spend Thanksgiving with our New York family. We dropped off some school supplies at PS 90 in Coney Island. It was hit hard by Hurrican Sandy. The supplies were donated by my old colleagues at [...]