Court Date Set for Teachers' Union Bid to Block Pension Law

A motion for a temporary injunction to halt Florida's pension-reform law will be heard Thursday, June 30 -- a day before the contribution requirement is set to kick in.

The Florida Education Association said a hearing is set for 7:30 a.m. in Circuit Court in Tallahassee. The teachers' union is contesting the Legislature's mandate that state employees contribute 3 percent toward their retirement funds.

In its request for a temporary injunction, the FEA asks that all salary money collected from employees while the case is being heard be placed in an escrow account.

"If [the money] goes into the Florida Retirement System, it may not be recoverable. By putting it into a segregated account, salary money can be returned to employees if our side prevails," the FEA said in an e-mail message to its members.