Civil Court Judge Kern Reese rules against New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and the Mayor could face house arrest.
We’ll have the more information as it becomes available.
The new proposal would pay firefighters $15 million up-front – close to the $20 million the firefighters had been seeking earlier in the negotiations, Chief Administrative Officer Andy Kopplin said. The city refused to pay the raises, which firefighters said artificially lowered their pensions.
“What I keep trying to articulate clearly is that the stability and sustainability of the pension system is in the best of the City’s and firefighters’ interest”.
It does not include roughly $67 million in interest that has accumulated on the $75 million judgment over the years or $55 million in other contributions firefighters say are owed to the pension system, Robein noted.
Landrieu says he’s offered viable reimbursement plans to the firefighters union.
Since the council holds the purse strings, they could also be held in contempt. It is unclear when or if that ruling will be made. “Anybody getting arrested for anything is just not where we should be going”. “Let’s strap on the gloves and get in there and make this right for the city. My God it’s been 35 years”, Felton said.
Since 2006, firefighters have been paid the proper amount but about 1,100 firefighters are owed back pay, said Nick Felton, the president of the New Orleans Firefighters Local 632.
“We have situations out there that can absolutely bring an end to this without hurting the citizens and without breaking the backs of the city budget”.
“The administration and the City Council have worked diligently to resolve long-standing disputes with some New Orleans firefighters”. But this is not about them; this about their pension fund, which is one of the most poorly designed and poorly managed pension systems in America. He has indicated he is losing patience and wants the matter resolved, warning city officials last month that they had just weeks to come up with a way to pay the firefighters.
“Because this is too important, and too much is at stake for the city of New Orleans”.