Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for May 8, 2009 IEA LOBBY DAY

Decision to Drop Deduction Increase Applauded; IEA Opposes Benefit Cut for New Employees

May 6, 2009 – Springfield, IL

Governor Pat Quinn’s announcement that he has dropped his proposal to increase employee contributions for Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and State University Retirement Systems (SURS) participants, was applauded by a huge crowd of education employees in Springfield today.

But the more than 3,000 Illinois Education Association (IEA) members who cheered Gov. Quinn’s announcement about current TRS and SURS participants also made it clear they oppose his plan to give future teachers lesser benefits.

“If we reduce the moderate, competitive benefits that future teachers can earn, it will cause high quality teaching candidates to choose professions other than teaching,” said IEA President Ken Swanson.

“Cutting benefits sends the wrong message to the next generation of teachers and would deny the students of tomorrow the best possible education,” he added.

The 2009 IEA Lobby Day event brought the biggest crowd ever for an IEA-only event. President Swanson said the turnout was due to the fact that the future of Illinois public education hangs in the balance in the current legislative session.

Swanson said the message the governor heard today is the same message members of the General Assembly will hear from the 133,000 IEA members from every part of Illinois in the days to come.

“We need a tax increase that will adequately fund education at every level. Proposals that would create a two-tiered pension system must be opposed and the legislature must fund the state pension systems,” Swanson said.

“By the time the session ends, we will know how many friends of education we have in the General Assembly, and how many are merely paying lip service to the issue,” he added.