Gov. Rick Scott brushed off a lawsuit filed today by the teachers union over a 3 percent pay cut to help pay for their pension plan, and balance the state budget.
"The participation by people in their pension plan makes all the sense in the world," Scott said after participating in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce summit in Washington, D.C. "It's what’s fair to the private sector. Very few private sector employees have pension plan that is 100 percent. It’s the right thing to do for our state."
Told of the argument that the plan violates the contractual obligation in place by law, Scott simply replied: "No, no. It’s the right thing to do for the state."
He later added, "We have two plans. We have a pension plan and we've got a 401(k) type plan. We're giving them an option. So we have the right to make changes.
Florida Education Association President Andy Ford said earlier, "This pay cut was used by legislative leadership to make up a budget shortfall on the backs of teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters and other state workers. It is essentially an income tax levied only on workers belonging to the Florida Retirement System. It’s unfair – and it breaks promises made to these employees when they chose to work to improve our state."
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