Statement from the Illinois Education Association October 11, 2012
Members and leaders of the Illinois Education Association were disappointed and angered by the comments executive director Ingram made to Crain’s Chicago Business regarding TRS pensions in an interview published last week.
There was no advance notice that Mr. Ingram had agreed to the interview and no inkling of what Ingram had said until the article was published.
IEA and the other members of the Illinois labor coalition oppose all current proposals for reducing the COLAs for any TRS participant. Coalition members also agree that there should be no changes made to the pensions of those who are already retired.
When the Crain’s interview was published, IEA President Cinda Klickna and Executive Director Audrey Soglin immediately contacted Mr. Ingram and asked him to write an explanation of his remarks and the context in which the remarks were made. He also was asked to explain the intentions behind the comments. Mr. Ingram wrote his explanation and it was published on the IEA website over the weekend.
Regardless of Mr. Ingram’s intentions, his comments have created another storm of controversy.
IEA members are understandably frustrated by this situation. This is a TRS personnel issue, which will be addressed through the established channels within the TRS board.
Illinois Education Association is an association of more than 130,000 members composed of Illinois elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty and staff, educational support professionals, retired educators and college students preparing to become teachers.
Did anyone else see the IFT response to this issue from Mr. Montgomery? IFT is asking for Mr. Ingram to step down since he is obviously not doing his job properly.
This is not understandably frustrating. This is TOTAL UNPROFESSIONAL behavior. This is not a personnel issue, it is incompetence—not only on his part—but also on the part of the IEA given his previous idiocy.