When the boys in blue make a promise to break out the big guns for a fight, you better believe they mean it.
Miami's police union followed through on a threat Wednesday, filing a lawsuit against the city commission for trying to cut cops' pensions and salaries.
The lawsuit claims the city acted illegally when it voted unanimously Tuesday to cut pay, effectively ending labor negotiations and reneging on already negotiated points in the union contract.
Mayor Tomas Regalado made waves earlier this week when he revealed that his plan to solve Miami's $110 million budget crisis was to break all of the union contracts - general employee, fire and police - in order to bridge the budget gap.
He reasoned with angry employees that without the drastic measure, the city would either go bankrupt or have to lay off 1,300 workers.
None of the choices are enviable, but officials were warned by union heads that altering contracts would eventually end all sides in court.
Under the new city strategy, any employee making more than $39,000 can expect to see a five to 12 percent cut in pay. Pension benefits would also be reduced to a cap of $100,000, with spouses of deceased employees only receiving benefits for a maximum of 10 years.
