SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois university employees are asking a Sangamon County judge to prevent a pension overhaul from taking effect until its constitutionality is decided.
Members of the State Universities Annuitants’ Association filed a motion in Springfield on Friday seeking a preliminary injunction against the law, which takes effect this summer.
The motion argues that allowing the law would force 17,000 members eligible to retire. If they retire before July 1, they avoid the pension-change consequences. But if the law is later found to be unconstitutional, they can’t return to work.
The law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn last fall requires employees to work longer and receive fewer benefits to close a $100 billion gap in five state pension programs.
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