As we noted late last year, Cincinnati is proving to be something of a canary in the coal mine:
"Retired city of Cincinnati workers argued in court Tuesday that City Hall is obligated to provide them for the rest of their lives with an extremely generous health coverage plan"
These agreements, forged by non-disinterested third parties with their union counterparts, essentially shifted the post-retirement health care costs of city employees onto the backs of the citizens and their children (sound familiar?). The problem, of course, is that with double-digit real unemployment in the private sector, these costs are becoming unsustainable (if they ever were such in the first place).
So the citizenry, via their proxies in City Hall, are fighting back against this massive financial obligation.
And they seem to be winning:
" [A] Hamilton County judge ruled today that City Hall has the right to alter retirees’ health coverage to require most to absorb a higher share of the cost ... Common Pleas Judge Norbert Nadel’s decision could save Cincinnati’s $2 billion retirement system tens of millions of dollars on city retirees’ medical coverage."
There's a very big "if" here, of course: the ruling is certain to be appealed, with who knows what results.
Still, it's an important battle won, as the war itself slogs on.
[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]
"Retired city of Cincinnati workers argued in court Tuesday that City Hall is obligated to provide them for the rest of their lives with an extremely generous health coverage plan"
These agreements, forged by non-disinterested third parties with their union counterparts, essentially shifted the post-retirement health care costs of city employees onto the backs of the citizens and their children (sound familiar?). The problem, of course, is that with double-digit real unemployment in the private sector, these costs are becoming unsustainable (if they ever were such in the first place).
So the citizenry, via their proxies in City Hall, are fighting back against this massive financial obligation.
And they seem to be winning:
" [A] Hamilton County judge ruled today that City Hall has the right to alter retirees’ health coverage to require most to absorb a higher share of the cost ... Common Pleas Judge Norbert Nadel’s decision could save Cincinnati’s $2 billion retirement system tens of millions of dollars on city retirees’ medical coverage."
There's a very big "if" here, of course: the ruling is certain to be appealed, with who knows what results.
Still, it's an important battle won, as the war itself slogs on.
[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]
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