Updated at 12:30pm: Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans said he is “prepared to stay under house arrest for the next two years of my term,” rather than paying New Orleans firefighters $142 million in backpay.
Landrieu made the statements during a live press conference just minutes ago. Additionally, he said that the city will appeal the ruling by Civil District Judge Kern Reese over holding him in contempt of court and putting him on house arrest until he pays the firefighters.
Landrieu said that the city has apparently been flexible with settling the issue with the New Orleans Fire Department.
Landrieu is being held in contempt of court by Reese, who said today that if Landrieu does not have a plan to pay the firefighters in place by Sept. 11, he would sentence Landrieu to house arrest, which means Landrieu would not be able to leave his New Orleans home on the weekends until he submitted a plan.
Landrieu and the New Orleans City Council have been given multiple opportunities by the Civil District Court to devise a plan to pay the New Orleans firefighters their millions in backpay.
Landrieu was given until August 21, the first time around, before he was told that he would be held in contempt of court and face house arrest.
The firefighters have been fighting the city of New Orleans for over a decade now for the millions. The issues first came about back in the 1990’s when the city refused to abide by state-mandated pay increases for firefighters.
Since, the city has racked up a massive total which the courts are finally demanding must be paid to New Orleans firefighters.
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