There was an interesting op-ed in the Chicago Tribune recently that points to the severity of Illinois’s pension mess. According to the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) in Illinois, if new revenues are not generated then benefits for current retirees may need to be cut via COLA reductions. This statement should not come as a surprise considering the state’s pension system is slated to run out of assets within the next decade.

As expected, however, teacher unions are unhappy with this discussion and have already deemed it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, because current benefits are protected in Illinois’s state constitution, this is a common fall back for nearly every argument against changes to the pension system.

Reducing COLA benefits may sound extreme but, as we already know, this type of reform was celebrated as a bipartisan success in Rhode Island last year. Unfortunately, during the same time, the Illinois TRS was releasing statements like this one:

The Tribune’s July 5 editorial ‘Rescuing public pensions’ is centered on the false premise that Illinois’ current pension plans for public employees are ‘doomed’ and unsustainable. The truth is that the state’s pension plans are sustainable.

One word comes to mind after reading that… scary. Illinois’s pension system is surely not sustainable. If the state continues to tell people that it is then the possibility for serious structural reform will become less likely. Reducing or suspending the COLA is one of many important steps that Illinois needs to consider.