With the General Assembly’s lame duck session nearing and the pension reform topic looming, the University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 will prepare by bringing a speaker to campus Thursday.

John Miller, the statewide UPI legislative/political director and the president of Western Illinois University’s UPI chapter, will present the “Protecting our Pensions” talk at 4 p.m. in the Lumpkin Hall Auditorium.

His presentation will focus on what pension issues state employees will be facing and how they can prepare to combat them in the lame duck session in January.

Ann Fritz, the president of Eastern’s UPI chapter and a biological sciences professor, said Miller’s position allows him to interact with legislators and have unique insight on the ongoing pension reform debate in the state.

Miller also serves as the vice president for the Illinois Federation of Teachers and collaborates with lobbyists, she added.

A pension reform issue expected to be part of the conversation includes those directly affecting higher education, such as shifting normal costs to public universities, community colleges and local school districts.

Normal costs are determined by a formula that calculates benefits earned from the employee’s performed service each year.

Miller’s presentation is also likely to address general concerns like how legislators might try to evade the Illinois Constitution when altering benefits, said assistant history professor Jonathan Coit.

According to Article 8, Section 5, of the Illinois State Constitution, “membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”

Coit, the chairman of the Political and Legislative Committee in Eastern’s UPI chapter, stressed that they want make sure their interests are represented.

“This is important because what has made the difference in the past for our issues is getting our voices heard,” he said, adding that his goal is for members to have adequate information to advocate the interests of state employees.

Miller’s presentation is geared toward UPI members, but anyone interested is welcome to attend, Fritz said.

“All of this affects every single employee on campus,” Fritz said.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or rjrodgers@eiu.edu.