Firefighters outraged at pension cuts
Ft. Worth POA has already filed a lawsuit claiming the changes violate Texas Constitution
After more than a year of negotiations, the Fort Worth City Council has unanimously approved a resolution outlining cuts in pension benefits for firefighters. The firefighters must decide if they will sue the city before the changes take effect Oct. 1.
Ft. Worth has been talking tough on the pension fund because, allegedly, a report issued in January 2013 said the unfunded liability of the fund was over $1 billion. The reductions for general employees and police affected future service, not benefits already accrued. Steve Hall, the former president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, and Rick Van Houten, the current president, filed a federal lawsuit in November, 2012, alleging the city violated the Texas Constitution in cutting benefits promised to officers when they were hired.