June 26, 2014
The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #86 and the Indianapolis Professional Firefighters IAFF 416 joined together to provide the following statement regarding the U.S. District Court’s marriage ruling issued on 06/25/2014:
“We firmly believe yesterday’s ruling impacts members of our collective organizations and we are confident it is another step toward the equalization of benefits and rights for our public safety professions, our City and State. We too concern ourselves with the fiscal impact of any new changes to our public pension and benefits system. However, we also place an emphasis on equitable treatment of all public safety employees and as such stand for closing gaps in benefits and compensation. We appreciate the due diligence of all those involved and believe the resulting benefits outweigh any costs for such a change.”
“As a result, this proposal will affect a portion of our membership who currently pay to support other couples and children with their tax, pension and insurance contributions. In turn, these members have simply sought the same opportunity to support and provide for their loved ones.”
“Additionally, this ruling will assist our public safety agencies in recruitment efforts by allowing our local communities throughout Indiana to meet the best practices of several other states and major companies to ensure our city is able to compete with other public and private organizations for high quality candidates.”
“Finally, our hope is this constitutional ruling avoids confusing equitable treatment with personal moral judgments. We believe it is always the right time to do the right thing and for the right reasons this decision places value on ALL employees of our City and State who have personal and financial responsibilities to those with whom they are in committed relationships.”
“Yesterday’s ruling has finally closed this circle within our Circle City.”
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