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Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski joins Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson on Chicago’s Morning Answer to talk all things Illinois. They discuss the pay raises for CPD, the $5 billion hole in Illinois’ unemployment trust fund and Lightfoot on a possible new mask mandate.
Recent Wirepoints pieces:
Summary and audio linked here.
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
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Audio and summary
Should be noted that CPD has a salary schedule with other opportunities outside this 20% to receive raises at various intervals or accomplishments. Even if a police officer stays at the same grade level every year of his/her career, they can count on, at minimum, 6% raises every 5 years. CPD contracts tend to be more front-loaded, meaning salaries escalate more quickly in the first five years than in later years.
My 25 year old son is making 120k developing software at home with no college degree (or tuition loans). Cops make less than that to walk into a dark alley chasing gunfire. They deserve way more than 20% after waiting years for any movement. I guess I’m in the overfund police camp instead of the defund camp.
Chicago Police have waited many years for a contract, pay raises, a new training center (which Rahm proposed and Lori disposed) and some respect. It’s still a crappy job.
20% raise…for what? Did the police solve 20% more crime? Absolutely no accountability it seems. In my family we have to look at every line item in our budget and make hard choices. Chicago needs to do the same. Budget cuts for police now, please!
Or just say what the radical left is saying.
Defund the police.
Fiscal responsibility is now a radical left talking point? Saving money means tough choices. Sorry.
Maybe a dumb question, with regards to proposed Chicago casinos lack of investor interest, what stops the public sector union pension plans from investing and running their own casino directly? Or are public sec pension plans prohibited from owning their own businesses? Seems they own real-estate directly why not businesses?
Because business has to be profitable.
Isn’t Lollapalooza, with all those white kids from the burbs, a systemically racist event?? Where’s the equity hustlers demanding free access for low income kids of color from s & w sides…what could go wrong??
I can balance my budget and limit frivolous spending. why can’t we stop paying for these bloated police departments and their settlements
20% increase without a blink? No wonder the state is in shambles. Cops are a huge budget liability between paying for their tricked out race car engines along with their pensions we need this to stop. Maybe they get more money when crime goes DOWN for once. Results first.
how about letting the cops do thier job,maybe ,then,crime would go down,every time i turn around Lori Lightfoot is telling the police dept,u cant do this,and u cant do that,its not the cops fault,its the politicians!
More WASTEFUL spending in our state. Cops are wildly over paid between driving their salary and lavish pension benefits.
20% over 8 years is only 2.3% raise per year when compounded. Hardly seems worth it to work in a job that is so disrespected and one mistake can put you in prison for life. Seems like the city got a good deal.
I think you’e right. Not many would want to face that thankless, sometimes severely risky work almost regardless of the wage offered.
It’s a job with a lot of hazard potential – thankless to boot.
Ooops! Forgot it’s teachers who want the cops out!
Na
Pretty sure that 20% is just the COLA’s. Police contracts have steps and lanes/grades similar to teachers.