Detroit's retirees have bolstered their defenses against benefit cuts in the city's bankruptcy case by hiring Ron Bloom, a chief architect of the Obama administration's 2009 U.S. auto bailout and long-time adviser to unions in industry shake-ups, Reuters reported yesterday. Lazard Ltd., where Bloom is now vice chairman, said that it will advise a nine-member committee that represents 23,500 public sector retirees facing cuts to their health care and pension benefits after Detroit's chapter 9 Bankruptcy filing on July 18. Benefits consulting firm The Segal Company was also hired to assist the committee.
