DALLAS — The City of Dallas owes police officers and firefighters who served in the military more than $2 million in pension contributions, a lawsuit filed by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System claims.
The federal suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The City has not responded to a request for comment.
The lawsuit aims to recover the pensions the City of Dallas owes police and firefighters for periods of military service, which, it claims, are protected by U.S. law.
The suit cites the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which Congress passed in 1994 protecting the employment rights of those in armed service.
Part of the Act protects pension benefits, so service members do not lose credit for time spent serving their country when they return, the lawsuit says.
While employees contributed to the police and fire pension upon their return from active service, the lawsuit alleges that the City has refused to make its contributions.
At least 100 police and firefighters who returned to their work in Dallas after military service made contributions for the time they were on duty. The lawsuits states those individuals contributed more than $700,000 to the pension.
According to the lawsuit, the City of Dallas has refused to make more than $2 million in contributions for those military service members.
In addition to the contributions due employees, the lawsuits asks for the City to pay interest owed as well as court costs.
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