Fix Tier 2 campaign goes on despite state's fiscal woes

After a lifetime of public service, AFSCME members who work for the state, local governments or universities deserve better than the inadequate benefits that Tier 2 pensions provide. Applicable to anyone hired since 2011, Tier 2 benefits don’t keep pace with the cost of living and fail to provide stability in retirement. That’s why we’re fighting to improve benefits for Tier 2 participants.

It was always going to be an uphill battle, but the fight for pension fairness just got harder. The Trump administration’s massive cuts to federal funding for state and local governments have made lawmakers deeply uneasy about supporting any new expenditures that could further burden the budget.

“With the uncertainty about revenues, lawmakers are going to be extremely hesitant about passing any measures that raise the state’s expenditures,” said Joanna Webb-Gauvin, Council 31’s director of political and legislative affairs. “That doesn’t mean fixing Tier 2 is dead—it just means it’s going to be a lot harder.”

Over the past two years, the We Are One Illinois coalition of unions—of which Council 31 is a leading member—has made significant progress. By holding town hall meetings statewide, sending thousands of calls and emails to legislators, and coordinating a massive lobby day and rally at the Capitol, we’ve put pension improvement on the agenda.

But that progress hit a wall in the 2025 spring legislative session as the funding cuts brought about by the Trump administration and its anti-worker backers came into stark relief. 

Every day that legislators delay action, the Tier 2 crisis grows. So We Are One Illinois is continuing to organize statewide to make sure that legislators understand what having an inadequate pension means for public-sector workers. 

Lawmakers need to hear about the real-world impact—whether it’s a retirement age that keeps people working longer than is reasonable or a cost-of-living increase that doesn’t keep up with everyday expenses. And telling those stories is going to be more important than ever. 

The outlook is highly uncertain, and the political winds are shifting every day as Springfield hangs on new revenue forecasts and awaits news of further cuts to federal funding. But we’re not giving up.

Lobbyists from We Are One Illinois coalition unions including, AFSCME Council 31, still have fixing Tier 2 atop our legislative agendas. At some point during the legislative session, an urgent call to action may be issued on short notice. When that time comes, every AFSCME member will need to mobilize to help pass fixes to Tier 2.