News
Chicago Park District Pension Update
In 2015, SEIU Local 73 challenged Public Act 098-0622, the pension law that would have required Chicago Park District employees to work longer before being eligible to retire and earn less in retirement. In March 2018, we won!
The Cook County Circuit found the entirety of the pension amendments unconstitutional. The judge ordered the Park Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago to pay back participants increased contributions made between January 1, 2015 through March 23, 2018. The Park District was to refund all fund participants all contributions that exceeded 9%, and active employees should have seen their contributions revert to 9%.
You may still be owed a refund if you were required to pay additional employee contributions to the Park Employees’ and Retirement Board Employees’ Annuity Benefit Fund of Chicago (“Fund”) on or after June 1, 2014 and have not yet been reimbursed for those additional contributions.
On or about July 25, 2018, the Chicago Park District mailed refund checks to the affected employees. The majority of those checks have been cashed. On December 31, 2018, the Chicago Park District notified the Court that a small number of refund checks had still not been cashed. If you believe that you were required to pay additional employee contributions to the Fund on or after June 1, 2014, and you have not yet been reimbursed for those additional contributions, then you may be entitled to reimbursement. If you think you are due a reimbursement, please call the Chicago Park District at (312) 742-5401.