Prichard Calls Pension Fund Unconstitutional

Retired workers counting on Prichard pension fund are scrambling to figure out how to make ends meet.

Late Friday afternoon, city officials responded to a lawsuit filed August 13. In the response, the city claims the statute that created the pension plan in 1956 was unconstitutional.

Robert Hedge, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of more than fifty retired workers, says the response appears to be the city's way of saying they don't have to pay retirees.

Hedge insists Prichard mismanaged the fund by ignoring a federal order from 2000, which he says required the city to put aside money for the fund.

A spokesperson for the city would not say if or when retired workers can expect to get their pension check this month, but retired workers like CW Currie, 71, can't afford to wait any longer.

Currie paid into the pension fund for 32 years while serving as a Prichard firefighter. He retired in 1995, but was forced to go back to work when he realized the pension fund was running out of money.

"I have obligations that had to be met. I couldn't come up all the sudden and say I ain't got no money," said Currie who is now working with a construction crew.

Hedge plans to move forward with the lawsuit despite the city's claim that its immune from being sued. Attorneys on both sides of the issue are expected to meet in the next few weeks. A date for the meeting has not been scheduled.