--- title: "Best of 2025: Pat Devaney, Illinois State AFL-CIO" description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Pat Devaney, Illinois State AFL-CIO, joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/IL%20AFL-CIO%20(1).png --- 1 min read Season 6, Episode 260 # Best of 2025: Pat Devaney, Illinois State AFL-CIO [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) December 31, 2026 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [AFL-CIO](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/afl-cio) [AWF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/awf) ![ILAFL-CIO](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ILAFL-CIO.png?width=400&height=400&name=ILAFL-CIO.png)   Guest Name: --- Pat Devaney Guest Website: --- [Illinois State AFL-CIO](https://www.ilaflcio.org/)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ILAFLCIO) [ Twitter](https://x.com/ILAFLCIO) [ LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/il-afl-cio/) Supportive Documents: --- Continuing the America’s Work Force Union Podcast’s Best of 2025 series, we highlighted the March 25 interview with Pat Devaney, Secretary Treasurer of the [Illinois AFL-CIO](https://www.ilaflcio.org/), who discussed the history of pension cuts, their impact on public workers and efforts to restore retirement security through the Fix Tier 2 campaign. In 2010, Illinois politicians created a lower "Tier 2" pension system for public employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011, which drastically reduced benefits. Devaney explained this was done in response to the Great Recession, but resulted in significantly slashed pensions for new workers doing the same jobs as their colleagues. The cuts included capping pensionable salaries, changing the benefit calculation formula, reducing cost-of-living adjustments and more. He said this has led to recruitment and retention issues as workers realized the "raw deal" they were getting compared to peers. As a result, newer workers would often seek employment in other states. To address these inequities, the Illinois AFL-CIO and its labor allies launched the Fix Tier 2 campaign. With over 80,000 supporters, Devaney said they are pushing for legislation to improve Tier 2 benefits before the May 31 legislative adjournment. He believes this to be both a moral imperative and a practical necessity, as he alleges that the current system may not meet the legal requirements for public pensions not coordinated with Social Security. Devaney expressed optimism about making progress this legislative session, citing strong labor support in Illinois and the current pro-worker administration. Finally, Devaney explained how public sector workers often accept modest wages in exchange for retirement security, but Tier 2 has broken that social contract. He argued that restoring fair pensions is crucial, not just for workers, but for government operations and public services that communities rely on. The campaign aims to take the first steps toward fixing the system, though full equity with Tier 1 remains the ultimate goal. To hear more about the efforts to restore retirement security for Illinois public workers, listen to the full episode with Devaney above. --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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