Randi Weingarten responds to my blog post on pensions.
The following statement was sent to me from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
From Randi Weingarten:
Illinois’ pension system is facing huge financial hurdles; the right wing was having a field day using that as a reason to dismantle it and with it, retirement security for today and tomorrow’s retirees. To ensure a solvent fund and viable defined benefit plan for years to come, everyone had to give and take—the state, taxpayers, and current and future retirees. Shared sacrifice is not a term anyone likes but is required at times like this. Current employees, retirees and the state reached a sensible compromise that resulted in SB 2404. In every negotiation, no one gets everything they want—but what sets this agreement apart from the blame game targeting public employees that we see in other states is that this was forged with workers and their unions, not done to them.
The 13,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers’ Retired Teachers Constituency Council and I
Responding to Randi? A leader who doesn’t stand with the requirements of the law and the demands of justice has no claim on the title.
Mike, Randi Weingarten and I got into a mild Twitter exchange this morning over SB2404, one of two pension killers being considered by the Illinois General Assembly.
SB2404 is the bill that was bargained between Senate President John Cullerton and the We Are One coalition, of which Weingarten’s IFT is a member.
The other bill belongs to House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Both break with the constitutional protection clause of the Illinois Constitution which forbids the General Assembly form diminishing or impairing public service worker pensions.
First of all, I doubt Randi wrote the response personally. Somebody in her office probably was given the job.
The other thing is that what jumps out at you from reading Randi’s Twitter posts is that she hasn’t the foggiest
SB2404 is the bill that was bargained between Senate President John Cullerton and the We Are One coalition, of which Weingarten’s IFT is a member.
The other bill belongs to House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Both break with the constitutional protection clause of the Illinois Constitution which forbids the General Assembly form diminishing or impairing public service worker pensions.
First of all, I doubt Randi wrote the response personally. Somebody in her office probably was given the job.
The other thing is that what jumps out at you from reading Randi’s Twitter posts is that she hasn’t the foggiest