CHICAGO - Pension reform the Illinois General Assembly passed in August that would eliminate six digit, taxpayer-funded pensions for teachers union employees is being challenged in court. Wednesday, the Chicago Teachers Union filed a lawsuit to stop the reform measure's implementation. The Tribune reports teachers union members say the reform is illegal and that more tax dollars should be paid in, rather than their retirement benefits reduced:
Under the new law, CPS teachers who go on leave to work for the union will be barred from participating in the public pension plan, which means they no longer can get deals that have long been a staple of the system.
For example, CTU President Karen Lewis, who makes about $148,000, can collect a public school teachers pension worth as much as 75 percent of her union salary averaged over four years.
Even though she hasn't worked for CPS in more than two years, the teachers pension fund bills the district for contributions on her behalf as if she were still earning $82,000 a year as a high school science teacher. The union covers additional contributions required to make up the difference between that salary and her union paycheck.
