Bonuses Drain Pensions

For  years the city of Detroit handed out pension bonuses, known as an annual "13th check," to city employees even as the financial position of the city's pension funds was declining and Detroit was borrowing money to finance them. But Detroit is not alone. So called "13th checks" to government retirees are paid out in other notable places whose finances are under duress. In some cases they are granted even when the systems are under financial strain, thanks to loose rules governing how they are awarded.