Carrying the fight to fix Tier 2 forward

Despite a vigorous grassroots lobbying campaign and more than a year of good-faith engagement with lawmakers by the We Are One Illinois coalition of unions, the General Assembly failed to take action on Tier 2 in this legislative session as fears of sweeping cuts to Illinois’ federal funding drew concern from lawmakers.

The Trump administration’s pronouncement of massive cuts to state and local government funding in the middle of the session threw the legislative session into a confused and uncertain state. Our fight to get the We Are One Illinois Tier 2 pension bill across the finish line was a casualty, at least in part, of those expected cuts in federal funding.

AFSCME members stepped up since the fight to fix Tier 2 intensified last spring. Together with other union members in the public sector, we sent over 100,000 emails and tens of thousands of calls to lawmakers, and turned out for one of the largest rallies the Capitol building has ever seen.

Since our coalition introduced the Fair Retirement and Recruitment Act last November, we’ve worked tirelessly to develop a responsible, comprehensive solution to Tier 2 inequities. We responded to the concerns of the governor’s office and legislative leaders. We participated in dozens of hearings, working groups, and direct negotiations.

The result of these negotiations was a bill—SB 1973—that would have lowered the retirement age, raised cost of living adjustments, and implemented a fairer final average salary calculation.

Up into the final week of session, we had real momentum and high hopes of getting our bill passed and sent to the Governor.  As the final week began, however, the legislative leaders made clear that they were looking for a commitment from the governor to support the bill.  And even though the coalition had met with the governor’s staff and had made further efforts to engage, the governor said he needed more time to review the bill.

Meanwhile, the Tier 2 crisis continues to grow. Every day, public employees are leaving their professions and our state because we can’t count on a secure retirement. The longer we delay fixing this, the more damaging and costly it becomes.

Our fight to fix Tier 2 isn’t over. Our campaign has built serious momentum, and we’re committed to carrying this fight forward in the legislature. Our voice and our advocacy have brought us to the edge of meaningful change. 

And together, we intend to finish the job.