By Khalida Sarwari
San Jose’s police and firefighter unions will meet with the city’s negotiating team on Wednesday to discuss a pension reform plan they submitted to San Jose elected officials last week.
Last Wednesday, five San Jose unions announced a plan that they claim would provide the city with $467 million in reduced pension costs over the next five years.
The unions, representing San Jose police officers, firefighters, architects and engineers, middle managers, and maintenance supervisors, submitted the plan to city officials on Sept. 28 and are meeting with the city’s negotiating team on Wednesday to discuss it.
“We have lots of questions about the proposal they provided to the city,” said Gina Donnelly, deputy director of employee relations.
The unions submitted proposals that significantly reduce the cost of pension benefits for employees, increase the retirement age, and decrease the rate at which pension benefits are earned.
They’re calling it a “fair compromise” compared to Mayor Chuck Reed’s plan, which calls for setting limits on retirement benefits for new and current employees and retirees — a plan that George Beattie, president of the Police Officers’ Association, called “illegal” because it attempts to nullify employee contracts.
The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. at City Hall.
