In an attempt to have December’s pension-reform law declared unconstitutional, public-sector unions filed a lawsuit against Gov. Pat Quinn, other constitutional officers and state retirement systems and their boards.

The announcement came Tuesday, the day before Quinn’s State of the State address.

The plaintiffs named in the lawsuit include more than 20 retired and active public workers in Illinois.

The lawsuit was filed as a response to the pension-reform law, and it states it is to correct a failure of duty by the Governor and the General Assembly of the State of Illinois – to uphold the Illinois Constitution.

“In failing to fulfill that duty, the Governor and General Assembly unlawfully harm hundreds of thousands of current and retired State employees and teachers and breach the trust that all Illinois citizens place in them,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims the new pension-form law, which will supposedly lighten the $100 billion Illinois pension crisis, is on unconstitutional grounds.

The suit was filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court.

The AFL-CIO, Illinois Federations of Teachers, AFSCME Council 31, SEIU Local 73, Illinois Education Association and others are among unions involved with the lawsuit.

The Eastern chapter of University Professionals of Illinois has been directly involved with the pension changes. In December, the chapter organized a letter-writing campaign that resulted in around 700 postcards protesting the pension changes.

Ann Fritz, the president of Eastern’s UPI and a biological sciences professor, said the lawsuit has been planned since changes to the state employees’ pension program began to be discussed.

“State employees have dutifully paid their share into the state’s retirement systems, just as non-state workers pay into social security,” she said. “However, unlike state employees, the State of Illinois did not make its share of pension payments – rather legislators chose to skip pension payments, driving the state into debt.”

Fritz also said the new pension reform will not only effect those working in government employment, but students at Eastern as well.

“Students depend on having high quality, affordable and accessible public higher education,” Fritz said. “Illinois public universities will have tremendous difficulty attracting and retaining the best faculty and staff members, if this legislation stands.”

Bob Galuski can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].