URGENT: SOLIDARITY NOW! CALL TO ACTION!

Dear Members and Supporters,

Our IFT representative Andrew has reached out to us with a call to action. On December 3rd–no coincidence that the state legislature picked a date that is after their election petitions are due and in the midst of the busy holiday season–they will vote on a bill that will gut pensions for unionized state employees. Although we don’t have all the details yet, reports indicate that the bill will:

Cap pensions for all employees, regardless of years of service;

Reduce cost of living adjustments;

Raise the retirement age;

And reduce benefits employees have already paid for.

While GEO members will not be affected by the bill, every single unionized state employee will be affected, including our brothers and sisters in UF and SEIU, as well as firefighters and police officers. And, if all of isn’t grim enough, these are usually the sorts of bills that get passed right before the legislature goes for a right-to-work bill, as we saw in Wisconsin just a few years before. Let’s make it clear what kind of trouble they’ll be in if they even *think* about union-busting in Illinois.

We recognize that Illinois needs to balance its budget, but they can’t do it on the backs of workers!

So, all of us need to do three things:

Call (888) 412-6570 and follow the prompts to speak with your state Representative and Senator. Tell them you oppose any legislation opposed by IFT, and that you will be paying attention to their vote.

Tell everyone you know about this. The consequences of a bill like this are far-reaching. Not only will many unionized employees at UIC be affected, but, throughout the state, workers will find their ability to retire (or, if they are already retired, their comfort) severely impacted. We need to stand up to the state on this issue.

Mark December 2 on your calendars: the IFT will be calling for a day of action–details will come out as soon as I have them.

I do wish I could provide more details of the bill, but the legislature is (for good reason) keeping it under tight wraps. As soon as I have more definitive information, I’ll send it out.

Please send this (or a condensed version of it) out to your colleagues and friends. Let’s show Springfield what happens when they threaten unions!

SOLIDARITY!