IS THE CITY INVITING ANOTHER LAW SUIT…..It seems they just can’t help themselves!
Guest Column
by Stacy Bjorhus
Former Finance Director at city of coatesvilleThe City recently had two employees
resign. One was a man who was with the
City for less than eight years, and a member of the ASFCME Union. The other was a woman who was with the City
for five years and not associated with any of the City’s Unions. Their employment proposed pensions for both
employees from the ‘Retirement Income Pension Plan’ which is also known as the
‘Non Uniform Pension Plan’.
The
City’s current Code Book states that each employee shall vest, for purposes of
qualifying for a City pension, after five years of service with the City. (Code Book Article II, §38-12 A. 3 (b))
The
man supposedly was awarded a vested pension, with a Vesting Letter from the
City’s actuary with inclusion on the City’s list of vested employees.
The
woman was told that she was not entitled to a City pension due to her
requirement to be employed by the City for twelve years.
Is it any wonder that the power point chart provided by
the Finance Director (Special Council Meeting 10/3/12) notes nineteen law suits
filed against the City. There are fourteen suits that are still pending,
four that are resolved and paid and one that is resolved but not finalized? The five law suits that have been settled are
in excess of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). Using the first five settlements as a standard
the nineteen suits filed against the City, in the current time frame, could
cost the City almost two million dollars ($2,000,000).
Has it been this sort of blatant discrimination that
has fostered the City’s employees to file, and win, sizeable law suits against
the City?
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