Page 12 - December 2017

The Underwood case
The Underwood/Korshak case does not affect anyone who retired or is going to retire with the
at a time when they are most vulnerable.
The only contributors to Clint Krislov, who fought for all City
retirees, were the FOP, the Retired Chicago Police Associa- tion and retirees who contributed their own funds. The other unions representing all the other City employees
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To everyone’s shock, the Illinois Supreme Court denied our petition and will not take our case. Judge Cohen’s original ruling was
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who retired prior to our attaining that ben- efit and anyone who retires before the age of 55.
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Medicare benefit. The case is for retirees
GREG BELLA
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our only protected interests are what is o
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RECORDING
and retirees refused to help in this fight.
Whatever the City promised was a lie, and
Secretary
shame on the Mayor for throwing retirees and widows under the bus. I pray that everyone will remember Rahm and the politicians who remained silent as they turned
stated in the statute. The statute requires the funds to provide a plan and subsidize the plan at the 1983–1985 statutory levels. The Supreme Court obviously agrees.
There is a fair likelihood that Judge Cohen will now order the funds to provide a plan and subsidize premiums at $55/$21 for Police/Fire and $25 for the Municipal and Laborers for life for everyone hired by mid-2003. This ruling does not affect anyone who retired with the 55 to Medicare benefit or the 60 to Medi- care benefit.
What the Mayor, the judges and the City attorneys have for- gotten is what has occurred here. We took an oath to serve and protect, and we worked on our children’s birthdays, graduation days and communions, and even family weddings. The street and sanitation workers and drivers left their families on holi- days to go out and remove snow so that the Mayor, the politi- cians, the judges and the attorneys could get to their relatives’ homes to celebrate the holidays. This is a devastating ruling for our widows and retirees, who must now choose whether to eat, pay property taxes or pay for health insurance. All of this comes
their backs on us.
55 to Medicare retirees
We have been receiving calls from members who retired in November about their Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage and a letter they received from the City. When City employees retire, the City sends them a form letter saying they have been termi- nated and offering the COBRA plan for health insurance. There is also a six- to eight-week period until you receive a new card from BCBS, and in that time, if you go to the doctor or pick up a prescription, the computer will show you do not have insurance coverage. Any bills you receive during that period will be paid by BCBS. This has been happening forever and there is no log- ical reason for it, because when you retire with the 55 to Medi- care benefit, you have the same insurance as an active member. You would think the City would be able to differentiate a retiree and the benefits by where they worked, but once again we are dealing with the incompetence of the City of Chicago.
I hope and pray that 2018 is better for us, and I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. d
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2017