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Buffalo Firefighters Protest Over Lack of Contract
RICH NEWBERG
WIVB
Reprinted with Permission
BUFFALO, N.Y. - There was a firestorm of protests outside the Buffalo Mayor's State of the City address.
A sea of angry firefighters, police officers and other union workers pounded the pavement outside the Convention Center even before the Mayor took the podium. The unions representing Buffalo firefighters and police believe they have been shortchanged by the Brown administration. The Mayor says he must do what's right for the taxpayers.
As many as five hundred Buffalo firefighters, police officers, and some family members picketed outside the Buffalo Convention
Center before Mayor Byron Brown delivered his State of the City address. Firefighters have been without a contract since 2002.
Firefighters Local 282 President Daniel Cunningham said, "We have tried to sit down with the city and negotiate a contract for the past eleven months since I've been President with no results. They won't even answer my letters."
The city still hasn't paid for funeral expenses for two firefighters who died battling a deli fire on Genesee Street last August. Some of their loved ones took part in the demonstration.
Angie Heusinger, mother of deceased firefighter Jonathan Croom, said, "I'm here to support the firefighters. I'm here in my son's name and in his honor. I know this is where he would want me to be."
"Pretty much to let the Mayor know he's doing something wrong, and, I mean, these are people that give it their all," said Shannon McCarthy, daughter of deceased Lt. Chip McCarthy.
Mayor Brown said, "We appreciate the hard work and all the effort of the men and women of our Buffalo fire and police departments."
The Mayor did not address the union grievances during his address, but later told reporters the firefighters rank and file have rejected two contract deals that would significantly have boosted their salaries.
"Contracts that contained more than twenty percent increases, and I ask the average taxpayer, who among them wouldn't like to get more than twenty percent in salary increases?" asked Mayor Brown.
Copyright WIVB.com
WIVB
Reprinted with Permission
BUFFALO, N.Y. - There was a firestorm of protests outside the Buffalo Mayor's State of the City address.
A sea of angry firefighters, police officers and other union workers pounded the pavement outside the Convention Center even before the Mayor took the podium. The unions representing Buffalo firefighters and police believe they have been shortchanged by the Brown administration. The Mayor says he must do what's right for the taxpayers.
As many as five hundred Buffalo firefighters, police officers, and some family members picketed outside the Buffalo Convention
Center before Mayor Byron Brown delivered his State of the City address. Firefighters have been without a contract since 2002.
Firefighters Local 282 President Daniel Cunningham said, "We have tried to sit down with the city and negotiate a contract for the past eleven months since I've been President with no results. They won't even answer my letters."
The city still hasn't paid for funeral expenses for two firefighters who died battling a deli fire on Genesee Street last August. Some of their loved ones took part in the demonstration.
Angie Heusinger, mother of deceased firefighter Jonathan Croom, said, "I'm here to support the firefighters. I'm here in my son's name and in his honor. I know this is where he would want me to be."
"Pretty much to let the Mayor know he's doing something wrong, and, I mean, these are people that give it their all," said Shannon McCarthy, daughter of deceased Lt. Chip McCarthy.
Mayor Brown said, "We appreciate the hard work and all the effort of the men and women of our Buffalo fire and police departments."
The Mayor did not address the union grievances during his address, but later told reporters the firefighters rank and file have rejected two contract deals that would significantly have boosted their salaries.
"Contracts that contained more than twenty percent increases, and I ask the average taxpayer, who among them wouldn't like to get more than twenty percent in salary increases?" asked Mayor Brown.
Copyright WIVB.com
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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You are right Art, I am sure he will say to the public, look what I offered these firefighters and they won't take it. Then play the greedy card. If I am correct, not long ago weren't the ladder companies were responding in pickup trucks?
Eight years without a contract is a long time. Someone dropped the ball bigtime. A COLA at 3% is realistically 24% (8 years) retro-active pay due to them and I am sure their medical benefits didn't remain flat over those years. Did anyone's? 20 is them bartering in bad faith, then you can add in all the other issues, conditions, manpower loss... Has anyone thought about the cost of a brothers retro-pay on the back overtime alone? For some brothers who worked alot of overtime over the years when they refused to hire more staffing... that back pay might be a thousand dollars alone.
And the barter probably states no retro for any of that. My guess is the 20 figure was CALCULATED by city hall and thrown at them to make all the other union concerns disappear.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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I would expect at some point, the 20 will start to drop, because the longer this situation goes without a contract, the more expensive it will be when it's settled and THEN the mayor will use reductions in work force to garner more support.
I mean; it's almost as if the city has ignored or failed to recognize the firefighter union as the bargaining agent.
Look for Brown to send letters to the firefighters to "scare" them.
A large corporation here did it and the union ratified the contract already knowing the down side if they didn't.
I think we are witnessing two sides who literally hate each other and the firefighters and the city are caught in the middle; an all too familiar position nowadays.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Look for Brown to send letters to the firefighters to "scare" them.
A large corporation here did it and the union ratified the contract already knowing the down side if they didn't.
There is quite a difference between a private company and a public entity. Similar case happened recently in WI where a company was going to move its operations and the union took a hit to keep the company in the community. A mayor really can't up and move a dept and use similar scare tactics. Basically, much of the same "business" sense encountered in the private industry world really can't be applied to the public world.
Yes, you're right, the mayor is a politician and will spin things how he can. FETC makes a good point with the 20% quite possibly being COLA for the past 8 years, the issue still remains as to what is the other factors at play here? I also recall the story about responding in pick up trucks because apparatus was down, there were OT issues because the ranks have not been filled. You have most definite SAFETY concerns here, especially after BFD recently lost 2 members.....so I'm thinking there is still more to this than a 20% wage increase and actually I see the pressure on the mayor, moreso than the FF's. Point is there is enough issues over the years and compounding, what is the rest of the issues that isn't being addressed that maybe the city isn't willing to talk about? Looking at this, the mayor is making this look like a straight money issue and if the 20% was dismissed, there is more to the story.
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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I thought I posted this comment already; Does anyone know why this has not gone to an arbitrator? 8 years, no resolution and likely no positive negotiating usually equals a call to the arbitrator to make a decision.
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John:
The "scare" tactics that the mayor will use will be cuts to benefits, reductions/layoffs, supplemental POC firefighters to reduce overtime, etc.
No; he can't just up and move the fire department like a corporation can threaten to move a facility, but similar tactics employed can produce similar end results; most notably, an unpopular contract ratified by those fearing for their jobs.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
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Many contracts have what is known as a "sunset clause". Upon the expiration of a contract, if there hasn't been new contract negotiated, the former contract remains in force until a new contract supersedes it.
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The "scare" tactics that the mayor will use will be cuts to benefits, reductions/layoffs, supplemental POC firefighters to reduce overtime, etc.
Reductions in benefits, increase in premiums, etc I can see as an issue as to why the 20% was turned down and I suspect that is part of the issue at hand. As for the layoffs (possible)and use of POC's I highly doubt. The dept has not hired for sometime and the dept is shortstaffed as it is, which is why OT increased. Even if the mayor was a weasel, it is quite difficult to justify such a reduction in staffing and even fire protection just to "scare" FF's into a contract would be political suicide. If there is one thing which could easily be fought about it would be that. Buffalo has the population, the demographics, the call volume, and the incidents to support the staffing they have, if not an increase.
The other aspect of this whole issue also comes down to the fact it is NOT just the firefighters in question here. The police and other unions have also been at the issue and out protesting. This could be an issue as to what Spanner asked regarding arbitration. I personally don't know if NY has collective bargaining and can go to arbitration. I guess I just don't agree with the same aspects as you do here. I have seen the scare tactics before and have seen issues with management negotiating in public, but really the use of POC's would be a political nightmare to push, and benefit reductions have to be negotiated. It is hard to say the city wants to take xx vacation days, xx pension reduction, increase xx insurance etc without giving something up as well. I think the city may realize this and is the reason there has not been a contract in 8 years.
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Yup. It's called concession bargaining and it sucks. You almost HAVE to give up something to get what you want. We want to try a different shift schedule where I am, no cost to the city, but they want us to give up any additional benefits. As for POC reducing overtime, I would bet the already negotiated contract stipulates, "no contracting out" as most union contracts do, meaning, no POC are allowed to work in Fulltime areas unless for specific reasons (for us the reason is hydrants. If we are running to a non hydrant area, POC will bring a tanker).
Scare tactics aside, I am guessing it has not gone to arbitration because the city will not agree to it. In most cases they know they will lose, and usually lose big for letting it go for so long.
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My observations are different than my opinions. You are confusing the two or you are contriving an issue with me where there isn't one.
You make it sound like I support the city.
I do not.
Let's be clear on that, so we can stop dancing around it.
The questions that I raise and the observations that I make are to further the discussion.
They are not made to further any disagreement; real or perceived.
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Art,
I'm not insinuating you support the city and I'm not confusing the issue, I am meerly stating as to why I don't agree with your theory in the "scare" tactics you mention. I understand such scare tactics out there and they have been used, the issue here though, from a union FF standpoint, is these tactics would be political suicide for the mayor. Threatening to go to POC's may work in a suburb with minimal call volume and demographics, but not in a big city with the issues faced as in Buffalo.
I did agree with the issue about cuts in benefits and my thoughts this may be more of an issue than just the 20% increase as proposed. The process though goes to a give and take approach though and the city just can't take benefits without giving something up either, which is why that wouldn't scare FF's into caving to the mayor. Layoffs could be an issue, but the fact remains the BFD has been on a hiring freeze for sometime where if such layoffs were made, the spots have been vacated for awhile and this would most likely be through attrition, this is why the OT has been high. This would mean though a reduction in fire protection in a city which has a high call volume, diverse demographics, and numerous fire incidents, of which it can be a tough sell for the mayor to promote.
I am just putting the perspective from a union FF on this and address the issues if such scare tactics were used. I can see the mayor making this a public type of issue and try to paint the FF's in a bad light, but reality is the FF's have some pretty valid points which may not be too beneficial to the mayor to try and hardnose FF's into a contract, which is most likely why there has not been a contract settled in 8 years.
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