Why Chicago’s Case for Pension Reform is Stronger than Illinois’
Via Chicago Tribune
Questions asked by the justices at last week’s Illinois Supreme Court argument on state pension legislation indicated doubt about the state’s constitutional case for reform. Some reports also said that a negative decision for the state would mean that Chicago’s pension reform will be held unconstitutional. That should not be the case.
While the city has supported the constitutionality of the state reform law, the city’s case for pension reform differs and is stronger in fundamental respects. There nevertheless is a risk that an adverse decision in the state’s case, if sufficiently broad, could doom the city’s reform efforts.
Even if the court holds the state pension-reform law unconstitutional, it should not foreclose the very different kind of pension reform that the City of Chicago has been able to achieve through negotiations with major unions and is necessitated by the far more severe financial condition that now confronts the city.
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