..Crap like this is why you're seeing so much anger thrown at unions.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...public-pension

Two lobbyists with no prior teaching experience were allowed to count their years as union employees toward a state teacher pension once they served a single day of subbing in 2007, a Tribune/WGN-TV investigation has found.
One day as a substitute teacher and you get to pull down a pension twice what a real teacher makes. That's pretty sweet.
Both lobbyists must make payments to the pension plan to purchase credit for their past union years, and they are required to pay compounded interest. Over the last five years, after the lobbyists joined the plan, the two men and their union have made standard payments into the fund.
So that's good news, right?
The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the lobbyists have made payments totaling $134,703 to the teachers fund to cover Preckwinkle's contributions to date and $98,701 to address Piccioli's contributions to the system. Records showed Preckwinkle still has to purchase most, if not all, of his prior years of union service, but Piccioli has paid for his.
Oh, so it's not all bad, they did have to put some money into the system and continue to pay for their benefit.
Preckwinkle, 59, stands to receive about $2.8 million by the time he turns 78, about $3.8 million if he retires next year and lives until he's 84. Piccioli, 61, stands to collect about $1.1 million by age 78, about $1.7 million if he lives until 84, according to an analysis by the Tribune and WGN-TV.
Well, hot diggity! Sign me up for an investment that returns ten times my money in twenty years! That's freaking awesome!


Now I know unions have done a lot of good things and continue to stand up for their members, but they also encourage crap like this which makes ordinary people angry.