Take a look at the union contracts for yourself - Mayor Cooper and the incumbents just signed off on them last November.
When the city was faced with declining tax revenues on top of deficits in the range of 10 million dollars for retiree health care, and 6.5 million dollars for retiree pensions, what did they give away at taxpayers expense?
- A 3% per annum pay raise for each year of the three year contact.
- A premum health care plan for which the annual employee contribution is only $250. On top of that, the city pays the employee’s $1000 deductible.
- The promise that even if health care was cut for active employees, that retirees are still entitled to receive the same level of coverage.
- Maintained a costly defined benefit pension plan instead of converting to a defined contribution plan, as many other governmental bodies have done.