By David Eggert
The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against two firefighter unions seeking to prevent layoffs in Pontiac and Detroit.

The court ruled 4-3 that an Oakland County judge was wrong to grant an injunction in 2006, stopping Pontiac's plan to lay off 28 of 117 firefighters until their union's unfair labor practice case against the city was resolved.

The Pontiac Fire Fighters Union Local 376 had argued the layoffs would affect the safety of the community and other firefighters by causing delays in response times.

Four justices disagreed, saying Pontiac said the same number of firefighters would be at fire scenes and that the city would add resources to make sure the fire department wasn't burdened with medical runs at the expense of fighting fires. The firefighters showed no "irreparable harm," Justice Robert Young Jr. wrote.

He was joined by Chief Justice Clifford Taylor, Maura Corrigan and Stephen Markman.

The ruling was a blow to Pontiac firefighters who have avoided layoffs because of the injunction, though it was unclear what it means going forward. Gordon Gregory, an attorney for the union, said residents last year voted to keep in place a provision requiring one firefighter for every 2,000 residents.

"We're terribly disappointed but not surprised give the majority of that court," he said. "The fewer firefighters we have, it impacts their ability to protect citizens and property."

Pontiac attorney Jonathon Rabin said the city was weighing its options in the wake of the ruling.

Justices Michael Cavanagh, Marilyn Kelly and Elizabeth Weaver dissented, noting Pontiac offered no solution for solving the problem of slower response times and more intense fires as a result of layoffs.

The court also ruled 6-1 against Detroit firefighters fighting layoffs, saying a Wayne County judge wrongly issued an injunction without resolving the issue of firefighters' safety.

The Detroit Fire Fighters Association sued in 2005 after the city announced layoff plans, including one to lay off 65 firefighters, demote 10 battalion chiefs and reduce the number of battalions from eight to five. The Supreme Court sent the case back to a trial judge to figure out the effect of layoffs on safety.

In both cases, the high court overruled the state Court of Appeals.