Bankrupt Detroit Ends Traditional Pension Plans for City Employees and Health Insurance to Retirees
Detroit seeing upgrades ahead of bankruptcy trial
July 20, 2014AP - Detroit neighborhoods are being relit, its vacant homes are being sold off or torn down, its public transportation is cleaner and more often on schedule and the city has renegotiated some burdensome union contracts.
In the little more than a year since state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr made Detroit the largest U.S. city to seek bankruptcy protection, it has experienced a wide range of improvements that will factor into Judge Steven Rhodes' decisions during next month's bankruptcy trial. A major piece of the bankruptcy puzzle could fall into place Monday, with the expected release of the results of a vote by creditors, including more than 30,000 retired and current city workers, on whether to accept millions of dollars in cuts.
"Things are being done now that weren't being done," said Detroit barber DeAngelo Smith. "I wouldn't say it would have been as fast if the bankruptcy hadn't been filed."Some of the most dramatic changes were designed to save the city money and didn't need to wait for the August bankruptcy confirmation trial.
Orr has frozen some benefits for participants in the city's two pension systems and ended the city's defined contribution plan. Additionally, the city no longer provides health insurance to retirees.
A coalition of 33 municipal unions, representing about 5,500 workers, also has banged out a 5-year contract after nine months of negotiations with the city. It calls for wage increases of 5 percent this year and 2.5 percent hikes later.
"We're going to show what we've done to date, but also show more of what we need to do," Orr spokesman Bill Nowling said, referring to the bankruptcy trial before Rhodes.
"Some people will ask, 'what are my options? If I don't get it resolved, then my option is I get to fight everything and maybe I win and maybe I don't,'" Bernstein said.
"For so long ... nobody wanted to change it. They just wanted to kick the can down the road," Bernstein said. "Now, we've tackled it head-on."
"It's a smoke screen," McNeil said. "The only people who got better are the profiteers and the privateers."
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