Arbitrators side with city against firefighter union - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Arbitrators side with city against firefighter union - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)
Arbitrators side with city against firefighter union - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)
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“This is the way that this has always been done,” said Ed Preece, president of Local 992.
If this is how things have always been done, then it is time for change.
Who has ever heard of a job where you can just leave work for 5 months and never even bother to call your employer and you expect to get paid like the Herald described it?
Anonymous says...
This is not the worst case of this kind with Local 992. There was another recently where an individual was out for 10 or 11 months & working another job on the side, etc. Some members of this union are simply out of control and flout the union contract provisions to their liking. Then they cry foul when caught. Some take extended time off because they were injured in private non-work related "endeavors." The union president is one of them.
Their actions are also upheld by some members/"leaders" of the Council's majority party.
To answer Anonymous, Union Jobs.
That's how safe they feel. Disgusting that's why we pay the property taxes we do.
Mayor Stewart does a remarkable job managing the city responsibly, even against the never ending tide of spending from the Democrats on the council.
Why do you think New Britain is not in financial ruin like almost every other city in Connecticut? It certainly isn't because of the liberal nutjobs on the council who do nothing but look for ways to dole out your money to people they think deserve it more than you do.
If it weren't for Tim Sterwart, you woulld be paying over $10,000 a year in taxes for the average house, just like in Hartford, New Haven and so many other Connecticut cities run by socialist Democrats.
Tim Stewart has kept this city running responsibly even without the slightest help of the council who does nothing but try to find monkey wrenches to throw into anything the Mayor tries to accomplish.
For example, after he negotiated what he thought was the best deal he could get for the city over the lease of the restaurant at the golf course, your city council Democrats spent the night arguing over where the contractor would buy their hotdogs?
Does that sound like a legitimate concern for the majority of our citizens, many who are facing foreclosure and loss of jobs, and the main concern for your elected representatives have is what brand of hot dogs a contractor is going to sell at his/her restaurant???
Sounds like many of your elected representatives have their priorities out of place. Just imagine what Mayor Stewart could accomplish if he had a council that worked with him, and not against his every move???
Sounds like many of your elected representatives have their priorities out of place. Just imagine what Mayor Stewart could accomplish if he had a council that worked with him, and not against his every move???
..................................
This mainly because of the socialist leadership of Little Mac--the lesser one leading them down that socialist highway to nowhere.
Good job Mr. Mayor, most of us would have been fired if we tried something like this.
Baltimore transportation officials towed a Secret Service van connected with former first daughter Jenna Bush's security detail yesterday, according to city and federal officials.
The Secret Service will be no match for New Britain's new plate scanner!!!!!
Our firefighters are looking for several months of paid leave while East Hartford fire fighters are agreeing to work for free for the good of the town?
PORTLAND — The superintendent of schools has begun preliminary discussions with school unions about possible contract concessions.
On Tuesday, the Board of Education "gave me the authority to approach the presidents of each of the bargaining units," Superintendent Sally E. Doyen explained.
The very next day, Doyen met with the president of the teachers’ union "to ask if they would consider entering into discussions about possible concessions."
In all, she said, there are seven unions in the school system: the unions represent the teachers, the administration, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, nurses and unaffiliated staff members.
"All of them have signed contracts that are in place," Doyen said, "so the board cannot unilaterally change the language."
Given that there are valid contracts with all the education unions, Doyen said, "Both sides must be in favor of reopening the contracts."
PORTLAND CAN DO IT, WHERE IS DR. KURTZ TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO SAVE HARD EARNED TAXPAYER MONEY IN NEW BRITAIN??????
Local 992 of the IAFF has an unbelievable contract which has given the union control of the department for years. Weak "leadership" in the form of former Chiefs and Acting Chiefs gave them such in concert w/ people like Lucian Pawlak for whom they have campaigned for. For example Pawlak approved the increase of firefighters on an engine from 3 to 4 under the guise of safety. This additional cost in manpower is
killing us. The decision was not in fact risk based, although I had witnessed Chief McCrann have to go to a bookmarked section of the NFPA recommendations to justify it to me. It was to gain more members. If we had one or two engines I could swallow it; but NB has multiple stations and pieces responding. There was already safety in numbers for rapid intervention. Mayor Stewart and Chief Carr need to cut that waste out and I'm sure it's on their list. Let's not forget this was about the last department in the state to do first responder (only cuz Mayor Stewart got it there) and this is the union who stated that although they had trained EMT's on staff; that they would not allow their members to work in that capacity if qualified to administer epi-pens which save lives in allergic reactions. The City subsequently elected to return the exception license from the State rather than be held hostage. You can bet 992 will back Tim O'Brien in a continuation of their "anybody but Mayor Stewart" campaign because they are afraid he knows every trick in the book they have in their back pocket. All this being said, there are some great people in the Local as well. I'm hoping someday soon these new leaders will rise and realize they work for the community and need to provide value daily. We pay for 36 firefighters (does not include overhead) per shift in NB. Much too heavy for what is produced in their numbers. Kudos to Mayor Stewart and Chief Carr for trying to rope them in to be partners in the community. Thank you. -M. Wanik
Sounds like the firefighters campaign against Mayor Stewart, because being a former New Britain fire fighter before he became mayor, he knows all the dirty tricks their greedy union is up to.
Wow.. the dirty laundry of these union dealings are FINALLY being aired!
No work for 10 months WITHOUT notifying your employer? My question is why did it take so long to fine these guys? In our "regular, real world, private sector" jobs we have to notify our employer if we will be out ONE DAY!! 10 months??? Come on management. Start managing!
Finally us folks now know what Stewart, Salvio, and Bernacki have been fighting for years!
Where can I donate?
sounds like management should be looking at going back to the 3 man per engine staffing for the obvious cost savings.
another area IAFF local agrees to work for one year without any overtime, all for the good of the town, what is local 992 doing to help the situation, other than demanding more money, more staffing, more, more, more!
Lets's flash back to about 1999. At that time, Fire Dept. overtime - and for about the next 10 years - was costing the City about $3million/year. A mill in taxes at that time was approx. $1 million in taxpayer money. So, each taxpayer in NB has been living with between 1 and 3 mills worth of taxes in FD overtime.
Every time a firefighter is out of work their time must be made up by another one getting overtime pay which can become one and one half times regular pay - all contractual stuff given away as a quid pro quo during a previous Mayoralty.
Flash back to 2003. In the Spring of 2003, then Personnel Director Byrne says to then Local 992 Pres. Martin, you know what? we forgot to tell each other that contract negotiations - for the FD - were supposed to begin a few months ago. Sorry for the neglect of professional obligations. Results? By contract, the existing contract - with no changes- was extended and the taxpayers continued to be burdened with FD overtime. In the same year, Stewart is elected Mayor. Trouble is he is hobbled with a totally Democratic Council that is led by Trueworthy and Bielinski.
A new Fire Chief is hired (Mark Carr). The Chief and the Mayor are opposed at every turn to make any changes in the FD and the contract by the DEMS.
Right now, union oriented Deputy Chiefs dole out the overtime shifts. Chief Carr tries to hire an Assistant Chief to regulate overtime - duties not controlled by Local 992- and is rebuffed every time by Union Sympathizer, Mayor Pro Tem, Suzanne Bielinski and the Democratic Council majority. Result? NB taxpayers continue to pay more in taxes for Democratic allegiance by Council Democrats (Bielinski especially) to Local 992.
I hope that this latest decision by arbitrators puts an end to the stranglehold that Local 992 has had on NB taxpayers for over ten years. Let Bielinski know that this selfish and personal activity must stop. The tax and spend policies of the liberals are bankrupting the City of NB and the country.
Lou Salvio
Alderman Salvio raises some good solid points!
I have a solution to the problem:
Let's go back to the great invention of Benjamin Franklin:
The volunteer fire department.
someone has to pay for the union leadership to go spend several days "working" at the Fountainbleau Hilton on Miami Beach as they just did a few weeks ago.
The volunteer fire department,
what about some of the houses in the more residential neighborhoods where the call volume is low going volunteer and just keeping the full-time paid positions in the innter city downtown industrial area?
Lou Salvio said... Result? NB taxpayers continue to pay more in taxes for Democratic allegiance by Council Democrats (Bielinski especially) to Local 992....
New Britain and the local 922 have a history going back to 1948. In 1965 the Union won the right to represent everyone on the force except the Chief, assistant chief and deputy chiefs. The union has negotiated contracts for firemen for over 6 decades.
The current abuse of the system by the current deputy chiefs and union leadership is a disgrace to the Good men and women who have fought for over a half of century to assure that the Brave "heroes" that arrive at work each day have the Leadership, equipment, training and pay that they deserve.
I would also like to point out that Chief Carr has done an exemplary job since day one of his arrival in New Britain.
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