You put your life on the line every time you put on your uniform.
Your retirement should be a lifeline you can count on.

Your hard-earned pension is at risk
The Forest Preserve District Employees' A&B Fund is only 59.05% funded.* This means the fund has just 59¢ for every dollar it needs to pay current and future retirees.

Your fund is under pressure
In order to guarantee you will get the secure retirement you have been counting on, the Forest Preserve District Employees' A&B Fund needs to be fully funded.

Time is running out
City employees like you need to work with elected officials to figure out how to bring the state's assets in line with how much is owed—before it's too late.
The only way to guarantee your pension is
safe is to have a fully funded retirement system

For decades, contributions into your fund have been diverted to pay for infrastructure projects, to fill gaps in the budget during hard times, and even to give you a raise.
This might have seemed like money well spent at the time—but diverting funds has put your retirement at risk.
Severe underfunding puts your pension system in jeopardy.
We need you
Secure Illinois Retirements is here to encourage every town in Illinois to find solutions that will work best for them. The solutions need to be resilient, so that your retirement savings will be secure.
So what can you do to help?
Looking the other way will not fix the mess we are in, but coming together will. We're organizing a grassroots movement of people to work with elected officials and help forge sustainable solutions to the pension system of Illinois.
Get informed and help save your pension
Sign up for our email list and get the latest information on legislation, workshops, days of action, events, and more. Add your name to find out how you can help. Please join us!
Chase your passion, not your pension
When the time comes to retire, you should feel confident that your future is safe. You should be able to spend more time with your family or doing the hobbies you love.
No one deserves to have their retirement put in jeopardy after they retire because they are not receiving the pension benefits they were promised.

When it’s time to retire, where will you be?

The funded ratio of your retirement system will not directly correlate with the portion of your pension you end up receiving.
The likely scenario is that everybody will get their full benefits for as long as the fund is solvent. When a fund becomes insolvent, your retirement is in peril.
This benefits calculator can show you what you have been promised.However, a poorly funded retirement system may not be able to deliver on that promise.
The two-tiered pension system was supposed to solve the problem
Illinois adopted a two-tiered pension system in 2010 to help fix the shortfall in our public retirement systems. However, a decade has passed and our pensions are still woefully underfunded.
Current retirees and more senior employees are mostly Tier 1, and will receive their original benefits. Employees hired since 2010 are Tier 2 and will receive reduced benefits when they retire in the future.
Despite all the conditions put on the benefits of Tier 2 workers, funding levels have only slightly improved. This means the benefits for Tier 2 workers are in serious risk of never being paid out.

Join us to protect your pension and your future
Why should I care about the funded status of my retirement system?
Reasons to want a fully funded retirement system
A fully funded Forest Preserve District Employees' A&B Fund
is the only way to guarantee your benefits.

Yes, the Pension Clause in the Illinois Constitution legally protects your benefits—but it does not force leaders to put aside the necessary funds.
The only way your pension is truly protected is if Cook sets aside enough money to fully fund your retirement system.
Cautionary tales from around the U.S.
Detroit, MI
When Detroit filed for bankruptcy in 2013, its funded ratio of assets to liabilities was 69%, which is much higher than most jurisdictions in Illinois. Due to this underfunding and subsequent bankruptcy, public safety employees had their cost-of-living adjustment cut, and civil servants had their pensions reduced.
Central Falls, RI
When Central Falls declared bankruptcy in 2011, its funded ratio was 16.2%. Pensions were slashed by over 50% before the city agreed to 25% for the first five years.
Vallejo, CA
When Vallejo emerged from bankruptcy in 2011, its funded ratio was 66.4%. The town cut police and firefighter numbers and reduced health benefits so it could keep up with mandatory pension contributions.
Harvey, IL
Harvey laid off 18 firefighters, 13 police patrolmen, and five non-sworn employees in 2016, following an intercept of the city's revenue by its police pension fund. The pension obligations had left the city unable to meet running costs.