CHICAGO— Retired Chicago police and firemen receive lavish, gold-plated pensions, and, according to Jim Tobin, President of the Illinois Taxpayer Education Foundation (ITEF), the reason Governor Patrick Quinn signed Senate Bill 3538, the $500,000,000 Chicago property tax increase, is to pump more taxpayer dollars into extravagant city pensions. The bill also forces local governments to raise property taxes statewide to fund local pensions, instead of requiring real pension reforms.
“I acknowledge that firemen and police have high-risk jobs,” said Tobin, “but that is no reason to force taxpayers to fund pensions that are making pension millionaires of many of these retirees.”
Jim Tobin announces the top pensions for Chicago's Police and Firemen to WGN TV, FoxTV Chicago, and ABC TV 7 at a News Conference held at the ITEF office Tuesday, February 8.
“Those receiving the largest annual pensions are retired Chicago police,” said Tobin, “and the proposed property tax increase pumps even more tax dollars into these pension funds. Of the top 10,000 police pensions, the average annual pension is a whopping $48,900. The largest annual police pension went to Philip Cline, whose annual pension is $146,973– $12,248 a month. Another retired Chicago cop, Dana Starks, is pulling in $11,243 a month with his pension, that’s $134,924 annually. Terry Hillard, another retired Chicago cop, is pulling in a lavish $140,701 annual pension.”
“The property tax increase will also pour more tax dollars into the Chicago firemen pension fund, which provides an average annual pension of $58,900 to its 2,560 pensioners. The largest pension goes to James T Joyce, who received an annual pension of $137,800 — $11,483 a month. James Kehoe is a close second with an annual pension of $126,650, which comes out to $10,554 a month. Another top pensioner is Norbert Diaz whose monthly pension is $10,325– $123,910 a year!”
“With the median fulltime wage for Chicago area households at $36,900 and the unemployment rate now at 9%, Chicago property tax increases to pay these extravagant pensions are inexcusable, and pension plan reforms are needed. The Chicago City Council and Mayor must end pensions for all new government, which hires will eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions; putting new government hires into social security and 401(k)s would achieve this. Furthermore, requiring public employees to pay for one-half of their health care premiums would save even more.”
***Thanks to the keen eyes of our readers, it was brought to our attention that there was an error in the Top Chicago Police Pensions list released last week. We apologize for the misinformation, and thank our ever-watchful readers for spotting the error. The revised list can be viewed by clicking the link below.***
Click here to view the revised top pensions for Chicago Police.
Click here to view the top pensions for Chicago Firemen.
Click here to view Troopergate-Part 2.
Click here to view this article as a PDF.
The city workers earned and deserve their pensions. They pay into it similiar to a matched 401K. Im guessing you dont have a pension and are not willing to do the work of the city worker ie.
How much do you make off this organization with donations? How much of the donations are you using to live off of?
99% of the police pensions that you mention were exempt members (command staff) of CPD. The blue shirts and low ranking supervisors DO NOT receive lavish, gold plated pensions.
I think this is nonsense. How is it possible for a Sergeant like the one you call the top pensioner to make a pension of 172K when his base salary is nowhere near that? I doubt your numbers.
On second thought, not only do I doubt your numbers, I think they are fraudulent. Sgt. Degenhardt contracted a disease a few years ago while employed by the city. He nearly died from that disease. At the time of his retirement his salary was probably around 90K a year. If he was medically retired which I suspect he was, he would be eligible for a pension of 75% of that 90K, a far cry from the 172K you mention. I suspect what really happened is that he sued the city and reached an out of court settlement paying him the 14K a month your story indicates. But that is NOT pension money if that is the case. But you as a smart man and I believe an attorney would or should know this. Which makes me wonder about incompetency in your investigation or simple dishonesty. Which is it Mr. Tobin. And before you try to explain this away with “those are the numbers the city gave me”, as a man with some common sense you should have realized that 75% of 90K does not amount to 172K. Hence my question of incompetency or dishonesty.
actually the city does not give an officer an automatic 75% for disability, they will give you 50% and then it is up to the officer to appeal and try to get 75%
Your being missled. I’m recently retired CPD.
I get $2992.00 a month before taxes for 25yrs
0f service. I paid 9% of my gross paycheck for all those years. What your saying is true
about these out of line pensions, but they’re
not the regular cops or firemen. The bosses get all the perks for there pensions. You could cut them in half and it wouldn’t hurt. Take 5% from
me, it changes my life. try to get a job at my age, with no connections.
The 9%you say you paid in is covering your health care, pension, union dues etc. Not all pension but I’m sure you thought everyone knew that? Go to calipers or calsters and check out real pensions some are over 200k a year, disgusting, if you want a pension, you save for it not the taxpayer!
Youre incorrect. Pension payments are 9%, medical is between 1.24 and 2.19% in addition. It is all separated, not lumped into the 9%.
There is NO line officer making 200K from their pension. Brass and exempts are the only ones over 100K. No blue shirt is near that.
You have NO idea what you are talkimg about and neither does this article.
Mr. Tobin What does “Of the top 10,000 police pensions, the average annual pension is a whopping $48,900 mean”? What does the bottom 10,000 police pensions average?
I am a retired Police Capt and my pension was based on 75% of my highest 4 of the last 10 years. Which comes to about 60% of my last years salary. That is not a lavish, gold-plated pension. And, persons of lower rank receive even less.
“the average annual pension is a whopping $48,900”
I’m agreeing with anonymous above and calling BS. The average police officers’ WHOPPING pension is probably closer to $30K. It’s all about Daley taking care of his cronies with their gold braid retirements, and then HE’S got the stones to complain about the pensions? … DISGUSTING!
It gets worse, too. A number of those “pensioners” have been “rehired”, like Daley cousin-in-law Tom Byrne, now the head of Streets & Sanitation,(you know, the one who was in charge when 900 cars got snowed in on Lake Shore Dr last week). Now dozens of them are working on 2nd or 3rd pensions! It’s all legit.
Many of us cops who came on the job at 40 and over get screwed with our pension because Daley changed the retirement age from none to 63. We are not wealthy cops.
Look into the exorbitant salaries of Politicians and Educators, to save money,before the Police pensions.
Maybe Mr. Tobin should tell his tale of woe in the CORRECT format. As a retired officer I DO NOT get anywhere near those pensions. Those are EXEMPT RANK, as in CEOs, V.P.s etc. in the BUSINESS WORLD. The average rank and file officer does not get a pension like that. How about some TRUTH Mr. Tobin? Oh and while you’re at it how about some TRUTH as to why this problem has come about. How about you tell the TRUTH that the politicians WHO BY LAW were supposed to be making contributions to the pension plans REFUSED and STOLE the money for their own purposes. How about you tell the TRUTH and say how 9% of my paycheck was taken out before I even saw it for my pension. How about you tell the TRUTH and say these officers, firemen, and other City Employees ALSO PAY TAXES and support their own pensions.
How about it Mr. Tobin? THE TRUTH not the vilification of the individual who EARNED that pension. VILIFY the politicians who CREATED THE PROBLEM and now seek to blame those who are BLAMELESS. Your lieing bull story makes me think YOU and your organization are in the POCKETS of the DemocRATic party or you are just an IDIOT who believes these lieing DemocRATs to cover their own reaar ends.