No agreement reached by the parties and no decision of the arbitration board shall reduce the vested retirement benefits of retirees or employees of the fire department, police department or of the sheriff department. Retirement and death allowances shall continue to be set and adjusted pursuant to Chapter Five of this Article, except that the amount to which said allowances are set and adjusted for uniformed employees of the police department and fire department shall not be less than the amount said allowances would be if the salaries of the uniformed forces in the police and fire departments continued to be set pursuant to Charter Section 8.405. Any agreement or decision of the arbitration board altering vested retirement benefits shall be subject to the written approval of the individual beneficiaries thereof.
(Amended March 2004)