Quick action from all County workers opposed to pension cuts stopped passage of pension legislation

In a last minute move, Toni Preckwinkle, the President of the Cook County Board went to Springfield the last two weeks of May with an entourage of lobbyists to ram her pension reform package through in the final hours of the session. Preckwinkle, accompanied by leaders and lobbyists from the larger County unions, attempted to convince state politicians to cut County pensions in a last minute appeal.  
 
While Preckwinkle was able to get her legislation through the Senate, it was defeated in the House. Hundreds of calls from nurses and County workers along with nurses showing up in Springfield helped shut down pension reform on the last day of the session.  
 
The County pension fight is far from over. State politicians still have our pension in their sights – believing that pension cuts are necessary and inevitable and that workers and retirees should bear the brunt of a crisis that we didn’t cause.  The problem is that politicians refuse to discuss the only solution that would solve the budget shortfall: the Robin Hood Tax on LaSalle Street that could fund our pensions at their current benefit levels  and provide much needed funding for education, housing, healthcare and other social programs. Expect Cook County pension reform to be at the top of the legislative agenda during the Nov/Dec veto session.