UPDATED: Pritzker Signs Firefighter Pension & CTU Bills, A Rebuke to Lightfoot's Opposition
Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill expanding pension benefits for Chicago firefighters. Republicans say Pritzker left Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city taxpayers on the hook for an additional $850 million in pension benefits.
Governor JB Pritzker Monday signed legislation supporters say puts Chicago firefighters on par with counterparts in the suburbs and downstate, but opponents say will force Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who opposed the bill, to come up with an additional $850 million in pension funding.
The new law allows older Chicago firefighters to receive 3% Cost of Living Adjustments, or COLA’s, instead of the current 1.5% they were receiving. The measure also eliminates a 30% lifetime cap on Chicago firefighter COLA’s.
Both bill sponsor Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago) and Pritzker said the law would ease the state’s budget challenges, but Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), the GOP’s Deputy Leader in the House, says the bill will seriously impact Chicago taxpayers.
"Chicago taxpayers are on the hook for an additional $850 million thanks to Governor Pritzker signing HB2451 into law today. As if the $44 billion in pension debt they already owe wasn’t enough, today’s action by Governor Pritzker makes a property tax increase inevitable,” Demmer said in a statement. “Further, the Governor continues his bad habit of spending hypothetical revenue by suggesting that the sale of the James R. Thompson Center will be the magic cure for yet another financial problem."
On Friday, without fanfare, Pritzker signed a bill giving the Chicago Teachers Union the ability to bargain on issues like class size, layoffs and the duration of the school year.
According to WTTW-TV, Lightfoot sent a letter to legislators before the bill passed calling for its defeat.
“Now is not the time to change the rules of engagement,” Lightfoot wrote in the letter. “CPS and CTU agreed on a 5-year contract in 2019. It would be unprecedented for the General Assembly to make substantial changes to the bargaining relationship during the terms of this agreement.”
Lightfoot opposed both bills and publicly called on Pritzker to veto them. The move is seen as a direct rebuke of the Mayor, who has waged PR battles with CTU since taking office. It may also show another fissure in a relationship between the two seen as on shaky ground.
Neither spokespeople for Lightfoot or Pritzker returned messages from The Illinoize Monday.
UPDATE (6:43 P.M.):
Mayor Lightfoot issued this statement:
"I am disappointed that today the Governor signed a bill that will result in a deeper financial burden to the taxpayers of Chicago. As I told the Governor when I urged him to veto this bill, without a question, first responders deserve to be appropriately compensated for their work both now and into retirement. However, signing this unfunded mandate into law is the exact wrong way to accomplish this goal. A key missing element is an accompanying revenue stream from Springfield to pay for this $18-30 million annual new financial obligation. This bill is fiscally irresponsible and validates a Springfield practice of cutting back room deals without full transparency and debate. As Mayor, I have a responsibility to ensure a stable financial future for our city and this bill substantially undercuts those efforts. This is a time where we must continue to be hyper-diligent around our present and future financial wellbeing. Springfield must start listening to cities."
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Some Democrats privately told The Illinoize Pritzker is upset with Lightfoot for not following his lead on COVID-19 vaccination eligibility and others say he views her policies as “not progressive enough” for his agenda.
