AFSCME Illinois Retiree Chapter 31

On Aug. 31, U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless entered an injunction, blocking Illinois state officials from enforcing the PDAA law, saying its reporting requirements are preempted by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA.)

"The Court recognizes that Illinois has a strong interest in protecting consumers from predatory practices," Lawless wrote in her decision. "The increased cost of prescription drugs in recent years is a significant problem that Illinois and other states have sought to address."

But, citing ERISA, the judge said, "the State’s strong interest in enforcing its own laws must yield to Congress’s decision more than 50 years ago to expressly preempt 'any and all State laws as they may now or hereafter relate to any employee benefit plan.'”

IL prescription drug ‘affordability’ law conflicts with fed law, judge says SPRINGFIELD — A federal judge has shelved Illinois' new so-called Prescription Drug Affordability Act, finding the state law almost certainly conflicts with federal law by burdening organizations that help insurers

Raising the payroll tax is emerging as a popular fix — even in the anti-tax GOP — to fend off deep cuts in retirement benefits.

As Social Security fund runs dry, some Republicans say it’s time to raise taxes

Galesburg Area sub-chapter members took part in the Labor Day Parade.

Happy Labor Day!

We will never stop fighting for what – fairness, freedom, and the power of a union. Today, we remember the struggles that brought us here and why we fight for a better future. Thank you, AFSCME family, for all you do as the backbone of your communities and for providing the vital services that make America happen.

S&P 500 CEOs made a record average salary of $22.8 million in 2025, while workers’ share of the US national income is at an all-time low. This metric comes with a catch: It excludes Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, who made $158 billion at Tesla in 2025 alone. With Musk’s income added, S&P 500 CEOs made an average of $340.1 million in 2025.

Executive Paywatch - 2026 | AFL-CIO executive paywatch Paywatch Highest-Paid CEOs Company Pay Ratios CEO pay is up, up and away, thanks to Elon Musk, who became the world's first trillionaire. In 2025, Elon Musk's $158 billion pay package at Tesla broke the CEO pay curve.1 It was 14 times higher than the total compensation of all othe...

Social Security offices need to have workers and funding restored in order to serve Americans properly, union says.

Social Security union says it needs $3 billion and another 20,000 workers to fix long wait times and 'ghost offices' Home News MarketWatch Social Security union says it needs $3 billion and another 20,000 workers to fix long wait times and 'ghost offices' Social Security union says it needs $3 billion and another 20,000 workers to fix long wait times and 'ghost offices' Provided by Dow Jones Aug 21, 2026, 7:03:00....

The dementia vaccine some of us are taking without realising:
The evidence has been quietly building for over a decade.

Now experts can't ignore it August 24, 2026 The fight against dementia is one that science – and humanity – is losing. More than 55 million people live with the condition today. That number is expected to double every 20 years in our ageing population. By 2050, there will be almost 140 million people with dementia, and their care is projected to cost as much as 1 per cent of the global GDP.

The dementia vaccine some of us are taking without realising | BBC Science Focus Magazine Cases are doubling every 20 years, but the race is on – using new and old science – to create a vaccine

There were more than 200,000 cybercrime complaints made to the FBI in 2025 by victims 60 and older, totaling nearly $8 billion in losses − and those numbers are underreported.

AI is accelerating elder fraud. Their kids are reckoning with the fallout More adult children are becoming liaisons between their parents and their parents' bank accounts as AI makes fraud harder to spot.

Of the 1,000 U.S. workers surveyed in May, 14% expect to retire at age 70 or older, and 14% don’t expect to fully retire at all.

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