SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a union lobbyist who took advantage of a since-repealed law to qualify for a public school teacher’s pension may keep it.
The 4-3 ruling Thursday solidifies the court’s position that the Illinois Constitution prohibits reversing promised public-pension benefits.
David Piccioli was an Illinois Federation of Teachers lobbyist from 1997 to 2012. Piccioli followed a 2007 law allowing union officers to receive a teacher’s pension by earning a teacher’s certificate. He worked as a substitute teacher for one day and paid TRS $193,000 in past-owed contributions.
Piccioli said Thursday he’s unsure what the pension will be. He previously estimated it at $36,000 annually.
The law was repealed in 2012. But the court’s majority says refusing Piccioli’s pension would violate the Constitution’s pension-protection clause.
