National teachers union pushes mandatory masking, vaccines

07/07/2022

Delegates to the National Education Association’s annual meeting again called for mask and vaccine mandates, as well as remote learning. On Nov. 8 voters will decide whether to grant Illinois union bosses more power to set school policy.

TAGS: IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, masks, vaccine mandate

Over 22,000 Illinois school employees stop handing their pay to a union

By Mailee Smith

08/12/2021

Educators across Illinois are exercising their rights, with over 22,000 fewer school employees sending dues or fees to teachers unions than in 2017.

TAGS: IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, opt out, teachers union

7 misleading progressive tax claims public unions are telling Illinois members

By Mailee Smith

09/30/2020

Government unions and their PACs have spent more than $1 million pushing the progressive tax on the Nov. 3 ballot – and are using misleading information.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, fair tax, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, progressive tax, SEIU: Service Employees International Union, Vote Yes for Fair Tax

Former Hinsdale superintendent collecting $315k pension

03/06/2020

The former leader of a wealthy school district is receiving a massive pension boosted by a pair of 20% raises given during her final two years. Illinois needs pension reform.

TAGS: Clarendon Hills, Community Consolidated School District 181, Hinsdale, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, Mary Curley, pension spiking, pensions, property taxes, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

By Adam Schuster

01/17/2020

Across all five state retirement systems, typical career workers pay for about 5% of the cost of their pension benefits. They receive an average of $1.7 million to $3.6 million.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, firefighter pensions, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, government employees, government services, government unions, government workers, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Jim Edgar, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, municipal government, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police pensions, public sector, retirement age, Rod Blagojevich, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, social services, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, tax hikes, tax increase, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Nearly 12K Illinois educators have stopped paying a teachers union

By Mailee Smith

10/02/2019

Educators across the state are exercising their rights, with 12,000 fewer public school employees sending dues or fees to teachers unions today than before the Janus v. AFSCME ruling.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, labor, strike, unions

Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch

By Janelle Cammenga

12/05/2018

Six years after last threatening to strike, the teachers union walked the picket line – a collective bargaining tactic not allowed in any of Illinois’ neighboring states.

TAGS: education, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, pensions, strike, teacher salaries

Illinois state Sen. Dale Fowler pushes bill to undo ‘pension spiking’ restrictions

By Adam Schuster

08/09/2018

Senate Bill 3622 would reverse recently passed restrictions on pension spiking, raising the cap on end-of-career salary increases to 6 percent from 3 percent.

TAGS: Dale Fowler, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, municipal pensions, pensions

Illinois government worker unions spend millions on political activities and lobbying

By Mailee Smith

06/27/2018

Government workers’ union dues are passed on to state and national affiliates, which spend millions of dollars on political activities and lobbying every year.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, lobbying

Government unions bloated with overhead

By David Giuliani

02/09/2015

Illinois’ biggest public-sector unions fail to meet the standard for nonprofits.

TAGS: IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, labor