By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – The trustees that oversee the pensions for firefighters in the city of St. Louis have sued over changes made to benefits.
Over the summer, Mayor Francis Slay's administration eliminated a perk that allowed
city employees to accumulate sick leave and cash it out at the end of their employment. The suit filed Wednesday argued that state law prohibits caps on sick leave for firefighters, and also blocks changes to benefits for current employees.
Mayor Slay defended the changes on his blog, He called them the only way to keep pension costs from breaking the city's budget.
The firefighters are also upset over a $2 million reduction in their budget they said would lead to layoffs.