SUAA’s HISTORY OF SUCCESS
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In May 2015, SUAA won a year long lawsuit ending with the Illinois Supreme Court declaring SB1 unconstitutional. Had SB1 been enacted, Tier 1 retiree pensions would have been cut by at least 25% and would have been vulnerable to further cuts based on the whims of the Illinois Legislature. Instead, due to the SUAA lawsuit, the constitutional protection for state retiree pensions was definitively confirmed.
In 2014, SUAA won the Kanerva Lawsuit, which declared that retiree health insurance is a constitutionally protected state retiree benefit.
SUAA led the successful statewide campaign to defeat Constitutional Amendment 49, which, had it passed, would have removed the pension protection clause from the Illinois Constitution.
SUAA provided input on the SURS Return to Work Bill, which resulted in SURS retirees being able to return to work on a limited basis for a SURS covered employer, in sharp contrast to the original wording of the bill.
And the list goes on . . .
SUAA continues to advocate for state community college and university current employees, retirees, and their families.
In Spring 2019, SUAA succeeded in getting the 3% cap on salaries increased to 6% for community college employees. Without SUAA's work, the 6% increase would have only applied to public school teachers.