Retirement Heist: The Kabuki Puppet Theater of Absurd Greed | Reclaim Reform

Retirement Heist: The Kabuki Puppet Theater of Absurd Greed | Reclaim Reform:

Retirement Heist: The Kabuki Puppet Theater of Absurd Greed

by kenpreviti

Pension theft in Illinois simply has puppets with Illinois legislative names and union names mouthing the words and following the steps.
The Kabuki Puppet Theater of Absurd Greed.

 

Since a unilateral political decision to cut public pensions is definitely illegal, unions and their leaders must be part of the cast of characters. This is essential for an effective retirement heist. All future ease of theft and destruction require it.
“We could convince the union that unless we reduce our retiree and employees costs we will be unable to continue to operate… thus creating significant hardship for their members. If the union didn’t agree, it would be tough to cut their benefits… So Pittman suggested a strategy he called ‘Creeping Take Aways.’ Using this approach, Varity ‘would progressively introduce minor reductions and usage controls rules into the medical benefits plan.’ These were ‘designed to be insufficient to warrant incurring the legal cost and trouble to have the benefits reinstated.’ A few years later, Varity could take an ax to the benefits, provoking the union to sue. In court, the company would say that because the union hadn’t objected to the earlier cuts, it tacitly agreed that the company had the right to cut their medical coverage unilaterally.” – Retirement Heist by Ellen E. Schultz