Another Municipality Sued For Shortchanging Pension Fund

Another municipality has been sued for failing to allocate sufficient funds to meet pension obligations. The trustees of the Harvey Firefighters Pension Fund in Harvey, Illinois, filed suit on December 17, 2010 in Cook County Circuit Court because the city failed to meets its contribution obligation for the third year in a row.

The suit is similar to suits filed recently by Pittsburgh Firefighters, IAFF Local 1, Providence Firefighters, IAFF Local 799, Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734, and other firefighter unions from around the country challenging the failure of politicians to properly fund firefighter pension systems. Pension related matters are also figuring into lawsuits in Atlanta, St. Louis, New Jersey (statewide),  and Delray Beach as the economic downturn continues.

In the Harvey case, the city was supposed to pay over $1 million each year, but last year only contributed $18,000. A similar suit was filed on the same issues during the 1990s after the city refused to make its required contributions. In the end, the city paid what was due.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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