SRHS Retirees Stand Firm

A year and a half has passed since Singing River Health System retirees began their  fight for lost retirement benefits.
Even though the rain forced retirees into a local Subway, dozens stood with their “Do the right thing” pins and t-shirts, keeping their fight alive in the public eye.
A settlement was reached in the pension case. Now a fairness hearing is scheduled for May 16th at the U.S. District Court in Gulfport before Judge Louis Guirola.
Many retirees believe Judge Guirola should send the case back to chancery court for fear that if the judge approves the settlement, retirees will not have a chance to have their say. Retiree Betty Phelps said, “This is illegal, it’s immoral and it’s unfair to the retirees.” Retiree Pat Nelson said, “It doesn’t tell us what we’re going to get, it tells us what the attorneys are going to get.” Retiree Willie Chestnut said, “They were making offers about 88 percent, 98 percent, we’re looking at what we was promised. We was promised 100 percent of our retirement. That’s what we want.”
The fairness hearing will be at 10 a.m. in Gulfport.