A New Orleans judge has sided with the city over one point of a deal hashed last year over firefighters' pay and pensions, approving a less generous interpretation of how quickly firefighters will accrue retirement benefits.
At the same time, Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso sided with the firefighters on a separate point, saying that the city can’t take back disability benefits from firefighters who already have received them.
The judgment, signed Thursday, came to light Monday as the firefighters union berated the city over the New Orleans Fire Department's proposed budget for 2017. The union has done the same thing in past years.