Retired firefighters lose '13th check'

Pension trustees in Bay City, Michigan have withdrawn an annual bonus paid to the city's retired firefighters. The action is part of a plan to close a multi-million-dollar budget hole.

More than a half dozen former officers and firefighters questioned the Police and Fire Retirement System Board of Trustees on Tuesday about the $2.2 million it has reserved for annual bonus paychecks - known as the 13th check - on top of the monthly payments to retirees.

Board members absorbed the fund into the general account to fund regular pension stipends. This May, instead of an extra check, beneficiaries received a letter detailing the suspension of the seven-year-old 13th check program.