Why that ugly orange sweater?

Trying to get recognized to speak at an Illinois teacher union meeting wasn’t always easy (even as a local union president). I took to wearing bright colors so as to be seen.

In 2010, at the state Representative Assembly if the Illinois Education Association, I took to the mic to plead with our union not to change their policy of refusing to bargain our retirement benefits.

I argued that to change the policy would signal the powerful Democratic Speaker of the Illinois House, Michael Madigan, that he could take action to diminish our pension.

Our warning was ignored. The union leadership’s position to bargain prevailed. A week later the Illinois legislature created Tier II.

Tier II meant that any teacher hired after January 1, 2010 would be required to work longer, retire later and receive less as a pension benefit while contributing the same amount into the pension system as those in Tier I.

It was pension theft, pure and simple.

I live in Brooklyn now. We will be having a mayoral primary in June.

Former and disgraced governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo will be on the ballot.

I have learned that New York also created a Tier 6 a few years after Illinois created a Tier II.

It was Cuomo’s idea.

Maybe he stole the idea from Illinois.

I mean Cuomo’s not the most honest guy. Certainly stealing the idea of pension theft is something he is capable of doing.

In April 2012, New York pension legislation created a new tier that reduced pension benefits for state and city employees hired after that date while requiring higher contributions from those same employees, working longer and retiring later.

Voila! Tier 6.

Different bottle. Same wine.

Can Andrew Cuomo be called anything but an anti-labor candidate for New York mayor?

I don’t think so.

And yet some of the biggest labor unions in New York have endorsed this guy.

That doesn’t surprise me.

My own union in Illinois crumpled in the face of Democrat Michael Madigan when it came to creating Tier II and pension theft.

Yet, working class voters in New York will have the last word when it comes to Cuomo.

Rank anyone but Cuomo.

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