United Today. Protected Tomorrow. Make the Commitment.
Illinois educators have spent years asking lawmakers to fix Tier 2. Now we are building the collective power to make sure meaningful reform can no longer be ignored — for all public servants.
Commitment to Undo Tier 2
I believe Illinois educators deserve meaningful Tier 2 pension reform.
I believe educators across the state should unite to protect Tier 1 pensions.
If lawmakers fail to pass a fair Tier 2 fix, I am prepared to stand with educators across Illinois in escalating collective action to demand change.
Why escalate?
We’ve already asked. Repeatedly.
Tier 2 has not survived because nobody tried to fix it. It has survived despite years of advocacy, public pressure, revenue proposals, and compromise legislation.
A natural progression
Every Step Has Led to the Next.
Years of lobbying, petitions, calls, revenue proposals, rallies, and compromise legislation have brought us here. When one strategy fails to produce meaningful Tier 2 reform, we build more power and move to the next.
What we’ve already tried
You are here
Organizing Commitment
Build enough internal support that lawmakers understand educators are prepared to act together.
Midnight Legislative Protest
If lawmakers end another legislative session without passing meaningful Tier 2 reform, public servants gather at the Capitol as the session comes to a close.
Public Photo Pledge
Turn private commitment into visible statewide solidarity.
Statewide Walk-Ins
Coordinated actions at schools across Illinois demonstrate the scale of educator support for Tier 2 reform.
And if all of those efforts also fail to compel legislators to act, the campaign escalates further.
Withdrawal of labor
One-Day Statewide Sick-Out
A coordinated statewide work stoppage demonstrates that the commitment is real and that educators have the ability to act together.
Statewide Strike
Tens of thousands of educators collectively withdraw their labor until meaningful Tier 2 reform is passed.
The campaign escalates only when previous efforts fail to produce meaningful reform.
Understand the Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore the questions that come up most often. Open only what you want to learn more about.
Can collective action actually work?
Large public-sector work stoppages have repeatedly produced concrete gains. Explore the evidence.
Short actions can produce lasting gains.
- 65% of U.S. teacher strikes end within five days.
- On average, strikes increase wages, reduce pupil-teacher ratios, and increase non-instructional staffing expenditures.
- Strikes less than two weeks in length have no measurable academic harm.
Red for Ed isn’t just a catchy phrase.
It represents a strategy developed by grassroots educators who organized against unfair policies in their states. Look at what these teacher strikes accomplished.
West Virginia — 2018
A nine-day statewide action involving roughly 20,000 educators helped win a 5% statewide pay raise and a five-year health-insurance premium freeze.
Arizona — 2018
A six-day statewide action involving roughly 81,000 educators helped win a 20% statewide pay raise and additional education funding.
Oklahoma — 2018
An eleven-day action involving roughly 45,000 educators helped secure a statewide teacher salary increase and additional public-school funding.
Hawaii — 2001
A 20-day strike involving roughly 13,000 educators closed nearly every public school in the state and helped win a 10% statewide pay raise over two years.
I’m Tier 1. Why should I care about fixing Tier 2?
Tier 1 and Tier 2 educators perform the same work under dramatically different retirement systems. Fixing Tier 2 strengthens solidarity inside the profession and gives every generation of educators a reason to defend fair pension benefits together.
Learn Why Tier 1 Is in JeopardyWhat exactly am I committing to?
You are committing to stand with educators across Illinois in escalating collective action if lawmakers fail to pass meaningful Tier 2 reform. The escalation is gradual: the commitment comes first, followed by increasingly visible actions before any withdrawal of labor.
Why aren’t we just continuing to lobby lawmakers?
Lobbying does continue. The difference is that this strategy adds organized member power behind it. Years of lobbying, petitions, calls, witness slips, rallies, revenue proposals, and compromise legislation have not yet produced meaningful Tier 2 reform. It’s time to give them some muscle.
Is this kind of collective action legal?
We cannot offer legal advice. However, it is generally not against the law in Illinois to withhold your own labor, but doing so can have potential repercussions. A statewide strike would be an unfair labor practice under Illinois law. And yet, statewide strikes have occurred throughout history. We haven’t seen retaliation against striking teachers in any of the Red for Ed states after their statewide strikes. Throughout U.S. history, we have found no examples of states pursuing legal action against individual teachers for participating in a statewide strike.
Could I be fired or disciplined for participating?
Employment risk is one of the most serious questions members should consider before any withdrawal of labor. The strategy is designed around building broad participation before escalation, but we can’t guarantee how an employer will respond. Nothing in this plan can get you laid off until the sick out. But you aren’t walking alone. We haven’t found any evidence of teachers losing their jobs because of participation in statewide strikes – because there’s no one left to replace you. Who would admin hire to take your place, other striking teachers? The beauty of mass collective action is that it is both a conduit for change and a powerful shield against retaliation.
What if I can’t afford to miss a paycheck?
That concern is real. The early stages of this campaign do not require missing work. A withdrawal of labor appears only after multiple other strategies have failed and after the campaign has built substantial participation. However, you will lose substantially more money if Tier 2 isn’t fixed.
Isn’t there a more practical way to fix Tier 2?
If a practical legislative path produces meaningful reform, that is the goal. This strategy exists because conventional approaches have repeatedly failed to finish the job. Every escalation gives lawmakers another opportunity to act before the campaign moves further.
What happens before a statewide sick-out or strike?
The current progression places multiple actions first: the organizing commitment, a midnight legislative protest, a public photo pledge, and statewide walk-ins. A sick-out and strike sit at the far end of the escalation path.
How do I talk to coworkers who are hesitant?
Why are educators leading an effort that benefits all public servants?
Tier 2 affects public employees across Illinois. But firefighters, police officers, nurses, and other essential public servants face different public-safety responsibilities and constraints around work stoppages. Educators are uniquely positioned to organize coordinated statewide workplace action while fighting for a reform that benefits all public servants.
Still have a question?
Ask us directly.
You do not need to make the commitment to ask a question. Send it here and it will be included in the campaign inbox.
Collective power starts one person at a time.
United Today. Protected Tomorrow.
The first step is simple: make the commitment, then bring someone with you.
You made the commitment.
You’re In.
But you can’t do it alone.
Collective power grows when one person brings in another. Your next job is to help more educators understand what Tier 2 costs them and ask them to make the commitment too.
Make the Ask ©2026