A grim financial week for faculty and staff. You’ve probably seen the news on the passage of a pension bill in the Illinois House. There is some commentary from Capitol Fax here, here, and here. There are further reactions at the Illinois Issues Blog, Progress Illinois which cites the We Are One Coalition response, and Robert Rich.
Senate President John Cullerton is said to have worked with unions on crafting a pensions bill (as yet unrevealed) but no version was called in the House, and it’s unclear whether the current bill of House Speaker Michael Madigan will be called in the Senate. So the fate of our pensions depends on the outcome of opaque backroom macho posturing. Forget it Jake, it’s Illinois.
In other cheerful news, health costs for current and retired UI employees are going way up. See more about the announcement here and here.
Overall, the week’s news presents a damning indictment of the impotent failure of those who claim to have been officially representing our interests.
Campus Faculty Association 