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Spotlight

An internal memorandum of the Northwest Suburban Teachers' Union

Dear Colleague,

Last night IFT President, Ed Geppert attended our Local 1211 Executive Board meeting in order to present the Carl Megel Scholarship to Anthony Jenness from Hoffman Estates High School, and to speak to the Board about the recently passed pension legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 1946.  

We would like to congratulate Anthony, his family, and his teacher, Hope Hazlett on winning this very prestigious award. 

President Geppert provided a brief synopsis of the actions leading up to the unprecedented, and rapid passage of SB 1946.  President Geppert also outlined the IFT's proposal (which was presented to Governor Quinn, House Speaker Madigan, and Senate President Cullerton prior to SB 1946) that included $100 billion dollars in savings which would have preserved the bond rating (a priority of the General Assembly) for Illinois.  The IFT's proposal was ignored and what was passed was SB 1946, a terrible pension plan that will end up increasing the school funding liability to the local taxpayers by lengthening the years a teacher must work in order to collect full pension (See attached: IFT Fact Sheet on SB 1946).

Prior to SB 1946 Local 1211 assembled a Pension Task Force designed to address the pension issue in Illinois.  Because of the General Assembly's failure to create an objective, effective, and long term solution to our pension concerns and Illinois' financial problems, our involvement in the pension issue has been fast forwarded.  Therefore effective immediately Local 1211, along with the IFT, will suspend all COPE contributions until further notice.  Also, the IFT is sponsoring a mass post card mailing.  The post cards will be placed in your mailboxes at your respective schools, please complete and return the post cards by Friday, April 16, 2010 to the contacts listed below. 

SHS: Barb Mach                                           Academy North: John Braglia

CHS: John Braglia                                        Academy South: John Braglia

PHS: Russ Horwath                                      TIE: Local 1211 office

HEHS: Bill Scully                                          D15: Local 1211 office

FHS: Jason Spoor                                         Itasca: Local 1211 office

I will be working with members appointed to the pension task force committee, with the IFT, and with other unions throughout the state in an effort to resolve the inadequcies of SB 1946.  Your involvement is imperative for us to reach an equitible resolution to this bill.  I am asking for people to step up and agree to represent their buildings and councils at the Local level.  Local 1211 has the responsibility of developing and implementing a formidable political action plan, therefore we need people who can help us mobilize our members.

Together we can make a difference, by remembering a three simple points:

(1) Legislators can be voted out of office by teachers and people who work in in education; We vote regularly.

(2) The average person is operating out of ignorance, they are unaware of the actual impact of ineffective pension

     reform; We must educate the public. 

(3) Most importantly, stay actively involved in your union, the pension beneifts we enjoy now were not in force 25

     years ago, we worked very hard as a union to get the pension benefits that currently exist;  We can fix this.

Throughout the years Local 1211 has overcome varying levels of adversity and has accomplished many great things.  These accomplishments were made possible by all of us standing together in order to reach a unified goal.  I see the reversal and/or modification of SB 1946 as another opportunity for all of us to work together in order to reach a unified goal.  I call upon everyone to get involved.  Thank you.

In Unity,

John Braglia

President,

Northwest Suburban Teachers' Union, Local 1211