Benefits of Membership

These are the reasons to be a member of SUAA!
Be one of the many VOICES in SUAA!  

                   
Through Voice, Action, Mission and Visibility

• Representing all SURS participants and beneficiaries by suing the State of Illinois for Public Act 98-0599 – Pension Reform; the law that was ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by Illinois Supreme Court, thereby saving the average pensioner hundreds of thousands of dollars during their pension’s lifetime
  
  
• Prevented a bill from becoming law that would have created a slippery slope towards abolishing tuition waivers for university personnel... community colleges could be next
  
  
• Led the charge to defeat the addition of Section 5.1 to Article XIII of the State Constitution - SUAA CA 49 Ballot Initiative – an initiative that would have been an attack on SURS employees and retirees
  
  
• Actively lobbying the legislature to prevent legislation from becoming law that would harm active and retired SURS members, such as attempts to change the “pension clause” in the Illinois Constitution
  
  
• Continuous support for legislation that strengthens healthcare and pension benefits for SURS members – we act as your voice in Springfield
  
  
• Provide legislative updates through SUAA Mini-Briefings which cover topics of interest that affects everyone in the SURS system
  
  
• Working to make sure higher education continues to be a quality commodity in the State of Illinois
   
• Advocating for an ensured future for the College Insurance Program (CIP health benefits)
  
  
• Protected faculty who were forced to take furloughs due to revenue shortages caused by the lack of a state budget between fiscal years 2015 to 2016.