by John Laesch, posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 at 7:59 am
State Rep. Daniel Biss had the courage to hold a town hall meeting to discuss “pension reform” in Glenview on April 30th. I estimate that 200-225 people attended the overcrowded room that was set up to accommodate 75 people.
The standing room only crowd was a mirror image of other pension discussions happening around the state. The general mood of the cramped, “slightly too warm for comfort” room was polite and respectful. Biss set the tone by taking questions and respecting diverse opinions while facilitating the conversation artfully.
I attended the event because I felt that if Representative Biss had the courage to hold a controversial town hall meeting that he might also have the courage to lead a fight to actually fund pensions and uphold the state’s end of the deal.
by John Laesch, posted on Saturday, April 28th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Teachers and retired teachers filled a school cafeteria in Naperville, IL to hear a presentation from Dick Ingram, the Executive Director of the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) on Thursday, April 26th.
The staff at the high school had to set up extra seats to accommodate an estimated 300-400 people.
The presentation itself was very “matter of fact” and seemed to be a part of a PR effort to let teachers know that Governor Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly were about to deliver a hard-hitting punch. Most of the information presented was not new, but the use of multiple events and participation by the news media re-enforced the message, “the sky is falling and teachers have to make concessions.” Before delivering the bad news, Ingram did talk about how great it was that teachers had lived up to their responsibility by paying into the retirement system all of these years. He also acknowledged that teachers are not eligible for Social Security (a point that is often missed by the public and seems to be ignored by lawmakers).
by VideoNewsService, posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 1:31 pm
In a surprising development, REA negotiators working around the clock brokered a fair agreement with Rockford School District officials. As the strike entered its second day with thousands on the streets, Superintendent Robert Willis returned with new bargaining flexibility after the community learned that some board members had not been advised of details of previous teacher offers.
by VideoNewsService, posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 am
This is part of a VNS series that follows the teachers of Rockford through the last year of contract disputes, corporate reform and questionable administration tactics.
by John Laesch, posted on Sunday, April 1st, 2012 at 10:29 am
Last Saturday Northern Illinois Jobs With Justice (NIJWJ) meeting had good news for workers at ATMI.
Tim Bell with the Chicago Workers Collaborative reported that the workers had voted to join Laborers Local 681 by a vote of 78 to 9. The near-unanimous vote is a reflection of the strength and solidarity among the workers.
Bell also reported that the vote had been ratified by the Department of Labor and that ATMI was willing to sit down at the negotiating table with workers from the newly formed union.
