A former Charlotte Fire Department captain says she feels “betrayed” after her pension was reduced because she spent two weeks out of a 25-year career on so-called light-duty.
Shortly before her retirement in 2013, June Stilwell, a former captain, had a pain in her shoulder. She decided to spend her final two weeks before retirement behind a desk.
But when the Charlotte Firefighters Retirement System’s board of trustees calculated Stilwell’s retirement benefits, it decided that those two weeks behind a desk were critical in determining her pension. Her retirement was based on a 40-hour work week that’s associated with light duty – not the 52-hour regular week that firefighters typically have. Stilwell worked almost her entire career on a 52-hour workweek.
The decision has cost her $300 a year, for the rest of her life.
“It has devastated me,” said Stilwell, who is 62. “I put my life on the line for 25 years.”