Governor Rick Snyder won’t say whether he thinks Michigan taxpayers should shoulder some of the burden of helping Detroit public employees and retirees, should they lose pension benefits in Detroit’s bankruptcy.
Everyone has a concern about the retirees.
Pension cuts are a distinct possibility. The governor says he won’t talk about while the case is litigated.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate given that it’s an ongoing legal matter, and the consequences of any statements, and the references and the inferrels (sic) that would come out of that. That wouldn’t be right to comment about at this time,” Snyder says.
The governor has a law degree and is a licensed attorney. Snyder says he thinks federal judge Steven Rhodes made the right call when he determined public employee pensions are not protected by the state constitution in a bankruptcy.
“Everyone has a concern about the retirees – being on a fixed income, being a senior quite often,” Snyder says. “It’s a challenge. So that’s one of the things we need to work on is how we can address this situation because it is a challenging one.”
Unions and pension funds plan to appeal a bankruptcy judge’s determination that retirement benefits are not shielded by the Michigan Constitution.
