San Diego and it's Police Officers Union have reached an agreement on two controversial pension programs. Both have agreed to move the question off the negotiating table and into the courtroom. Reporter David Nogueras has more.
The mayor and the head of the union say they'll let a judge decide on two major sticking points they couldn't hammer out during contact negotiations. One allows city employees to collect pay and pension checks at the same time. The other allows them to increase their pensions by purchasing credit for years they didn't work. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders wants to get rid of with both.
But the union's Bill Nemic says the city is obligated to keep it's word.
Nemic: However, in this financial and political climate we have no problem with the fact that it's mayor's right to take this case to court, however we will vehemently oppose it.
The union approved a tentative contract with the city yesterday which includes a 6 percent raise. Both parties agreed to decide the pension issue separately to keep it from jeopardizing the rest of the contract.
For KPBS, I'm David Nogueras
