NEIUPI

If you didn’t wake up cranky, the following may help you find that emotion. One of the UPI campuses is UIS (University of Illinois at Springfield – formerly Sangamon State). As you know the U of Illinois has decided to furlough its employees in response to the budget crisis. For those employees represented by collective bargaining, labor law requires that UI must bargain furloughs. For our few colleagues at UIS, the administration refused to bargain furloughs and instead laid off some of the poorest paid workers in the entire U of I system. Ellie Sullivan, UPI local 4100 President, responded with the following piece in the Sun Times:

U. of I. exec hardly sharing the pain

March 9, 2010

Some people just ruin things for the rest of us, and I put University of Illinois Chancellor Richard D. Ringeisen first in line.
While pulling down a whopping consulting fee of $273,500, this man is trying to balance the troubled budget of the university on the backs of the people who keep the place running. Three members of University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 staff chapter are being laid off. Not for a couple of days, but for a total of 23 weeks — almost half the year.

Read more at the Sun Times

Interesting ruling in New Jersey (not Illinois)….their appellate court rules that NJ is not required to pay millions owed to pension fund, teachers unions sought a constitutional amendment. Our state constitution guarantees our pension and as employees, we may our payments with each paycheck…even though constitutionally mandated, our legislators didn’t make their contribution….

How do you think an Illinois appellate court would rule?

Teachers lose pension ruling; Appellate panel says state can skip millions in payments

By LISA FLEISHER, STATE HOUSE BUREAU, North Jersey Media Group

In a ruling against the state’s largest teachers union, a three-member appellate court panel Thursday said New Jersey is not constitutionally required to pay the millions it owes every year into the fund for teachers’ pensions.

The decision came amid a fight in Trenton over how to fix the state’s underfunded pension plan, including a proposal that could make full funding a constitutional requirement.

Read the related article on nj.com