Tier 2 Reform Update: The Fight is Not Over

The Illinois General Assembly's spring session has come to a close and SB1937, the We Are One coalition's bill to fix Tier 2, did not cross the finish line.

We are disappointed. But we are not done.

Tier 2 employees — the dedicated public workers who keep our state moving — have been shortchanged for too long. You do the same work as your Tier 1 colleagues, but you retire on a lesser pension that doesn't provide an adequate retirement. SB1937 would make dramatic strides to fix that. It would improve your final average salary calculation, lower retirement ages, strengthen your cost-of-living adjustment, and resolve the so-called "safe harbor" problem that the federal government could use against our pension system at any moment.

This bill is the right thing to do, and that has not changed.

The federal funding cuts coming out of Washington has created fear among state lawmakers about Illinois's financial standing, and that fear has made it difficult to move any legislation related to pensions — even one like ours that is responsibly funded and credit neutral.

But we also know the Tier 2 problem will get more expensive to solve the longer it goes unaddressed. Tier 2 employees do not stop being shortchanged because it's a difficult budget year.

The We Are One Illinois coalition, representing hundreds of thousands of working people across this state, has fought for this for years, and we will never give up.

We will keep pushing for as long as it takes, because Tier 2 employees deserve a fair retirement and the failure to fix this problem harms every single person living in our state.

We are continuing to meet with legislators and the Governor's office. We are not standing down between sessions. We will be back in Springfield, and we will be back with you behind us.

Continue to tell your legislators that the work is not finished. Let them know you will be watching — and that you expect them to get this done.

This fight is not over. We are in it with you until we win.