Friday, January 31, 2014

1-31-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:









Karen Lewis: “This is not just about a spreadsheet piece, it’s [about] what actually happens to the people.”
WBEZ: The head of the Chicago Teachers Union on Friday said she will not accept cuts to retired teachers’ benefits as a way to ease the district’s pension crisis; though she did detail some ideas for easing a funding shortfall of at least $8 billion. CTU President Karen Lewis said she was “horrified” by the controversial overhaul of state worker pensions that became law in December. That law, wh

Senate Bill lawsuits.
1. We Are One Coalition Filed: January 28th, 2014. Location: Sangamon County. Plaintiffs: WAO, 5 TRS active teachers, 3 TRS annuitants, 3 SURS active members, 3 SURS annuitants, 9 SERS active members, 2 SERS annuitants. Seek to represent class of active and annuitants from TRS, SURS and SERS. Defendants: Governor, Comptroller, Treasurer, TRS, SURS, SERS. Primary claim: COLA, minimum retirement age


Madigan’s $1.5 billion gift to corporations.
Since we know that Democratic Speaker Mike Madigan believes in nothing but power and money, it is probably fair to assume there is some political calculation in his proposal to cut the Illinois corporate tax rate in half. But I can tell you that there is not a public employee in the state of Illinois that does not feel that knife that is currently sticking in our backs turn a little when they hea



1-30-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: CTU says no deal to pension cuts.Chicago Tribune: Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Wednesday that negotiations over a pension overhaul with the school district are at a stalemate, and her members are ready to aggressively fight proposed cuts to their retirement benefits. According to