ST. LOUIS — Aldermen on Friday overrode Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ veto and reversed changes to the firefighter pension system adopted years ago to rein in runaway spending.
The vote still requires state approval and would return oversight of all firefighter pensions to a commission led by firefighters, as it was before the 2012 reform.
Councilman Brett Narayan, who sponsored the bill, called it “a victory for workers.”
In response, Jones announced a citywide hiring freeze.
“I am disappointed to see the majority of the City Council override my veto and make the fiscally irresponsible decision to jeopardize the city’s budget,” she said in a statement Friday.
Jones has long warned that such measures could lead to inflated pension costs, citing the bill’s lack of transparency in justifying the freeze, as well as the idea that it would reduce income tax revenue for the city. He cited impending legislation in the state Legislature that could do so. She said the measure does not apply to first responders, 911 dispatchers and employees of water, trash and airport departments. Spokesman Conor Kerrigan said other hires would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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The unusual override of the mayor’s veto marked a long-awaited victory for firefighters, who make up one of the city’s most influential unions.
For 50 years, they have been able to get almost anything they want when it comes to pension plans. The mayor and aldermen approved additional retiree bonuses, funeral subsidies and sick leave buyouts worth tens of thousands of dollars per retiree. Firefighters could continue working even after retiring and receive a salary and pension at the same time.
The firefighter-dominated pension board also offered lavish benefits to office workers, at one point offering three retirement plans and 12 weeks of vacation, sick leave, and holidays each year.
But that all came to a standstill in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Inventory losses took a toll on the system, forcing city taxpayers to spend tens of millions of dollars a year to bail it out. City officials ultimately said they could no longer afford it.
Officials battled the union for months and ultimately passed a series of changes. They left the old firefighter-run committees and systems in place. But it also established a new oversight committee led by a City Hall appointee and created a new system to reduce benefits for young firefighters. City leaders cheered as pension costs declined.
But firefighters have been working over the past few years to slowly reverse the changes. It has come up short twice, including last year, when aldermen fell short by one vote to override Jones’ veto of a similar plan.
This year’s bill would eliminate the city-run commission governing the new system, leaving the old commission in charge of both systems. The old commission, overseen by firefighters, could not increase benefits without the consent of aldermen and an actuarial cost study. However, the company is responsible for hiring actuaries to conduct such research, and could potentially take a more aggressive stance in promoting new benefits.
And this year, the bill’s supporters managed to get it to the final vote.
Voting to uphold the veto on Friday were Dutchtown City Councilman Shane Cohn, Forest Park Southeast Councilman Michael Browning, and Kingsway East Councilman Sharon It was just Mr. Tice. Councilwoman Laura Keyes, who lives in O’Fallon, was absent.
After the meeting, Narayan and Aldermanic chairman Megan Green dismissed concerns that the plan would lead to runaway costs, stressing that any increase in pension benefits would require a separate charge. Narayan said if councilors start making irresponsible decisions, residents will vote them out.
They also criticized Jones’ hiring freeze as an overreaction. They’re backed by a budget surplus from federal pandemic aid, the NFL’s Rams relocation settlement, and, ironically, a number of vacancies that have disrupted services like 911 calls, trash pickup, and tree removal in recent years. He pointed out that the city’s finances are strong.
Narayan said the city should spend some of that money attracting and retaining more employees, including firefighters. However, the city’s department is better staffed than other departments.
Green said a hiring freeze would be counterproductive. “At the end of the day, I think it only succeeds in degrading city services,” she says.
Because the Firefighters Pension Commission is a state law, Friday’s commission vote still requires approval from state lawmakers.
State Sen. Steve Roberts (D-St. Louis) Louis is sponsoring a companion bill. I heard this at Wednesday’s committee meeting.
A look at life in St. Louis through the lens of a post-deployment photographer. Edited by Jenna Jones.
