Firefighter Political News

Alameda Firefighters Offer Rebuttal to Report

August 20, 2009

Alameda firefighters have issued a 19-page rebuttal to an 81-page report about the Alameda Fire Department that the city received in May. The city commissioned the International City/County Manage-ment Association to operationally assess both the police and fire departments. In their rebuttal, the firefighters have focused on statements that the firefighters call “at least, misleading, [...]

Read the full article →

Alameda FD minimum staffing to go before voters

August 7, 2009

The battle over the firefighters’ minimum staffing initiative took another twist Monday night when the City Council voted, 4-1, to wait until November 2011 to put it on the ballot — the last possible date it could choose to put the measure before voters. Council members — some of whom stated unequivocally that they disagree [...]

Read the full article →

Seaside Association President responds to negative comments

August 6, 2009

When Seaside City Council members make public comments about fire and police personnel not making concessions to help our budget crisis, it is unprofessional and irresponsible. Since public safety employees could not take a pay reduction through a modified workweek like the other groups agreed to, the city asked them to defer salary and cost [...]

Read the full article →

San Bernardino City FD to Reorganize Staff Positions

July 30, 2009

San Bernardino Fire Chief Michael Conrad said that when a city has reached the point of cutting emergency services such as fire and police, you know it’s bad. Conrad was asked on March 31 to look at his fire department and make changes that would save money. The plan that he created would cut a [...]

Read the full article →

Labor dispute between Menlo Park firefighters, district boils over

July 28, 2009

A year-plus dispute over salary increases for firefighters in the Menlo Park Fire Protection District has boiled over, with the district board declaring negotiations to be at an “impasse,” and the union filing a complaint with state officials. As a result of the stalled talks, more than 90 firefighters represented by San Mateo County Firefighters [...]

Read the full article →

L.A. fire chief says budget cuts will mean longer response times

July 24, 2009

Los Angeles’ budget crisis is likely to mean it will take longer for firefighters to respond to calls for help. Faced with $56 million in budget cuts, the Los Angeles Fire Department plans to enact rolling brownouts that temporarily take fire engines out of service at stations across the city. Chief Douglas Barry said today [...]

Read the full article →

Clark County Firefighters make proposal for cutbacks

July 24, 2009

LAS VEGAS—A firefighters’ union is proposing to cut cost-of-living raises from 3 percent to 2 percent in return for two more paid leave days and a two-year contract extension. The union has been criticized for not reducing pay raises like other Clark County employee unions to help the county budget crunch. Ryan Beaman, president of [...]

Read the full article →

LA Fire Union says Mayor is ‘Pointing a Gun at Our Heads’

July 24, 2009

As part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s “shared sacrifice” plan to save the city budget, cuts proposed to fire department ladder and ambulance companies, nicknamed “brownouts,” would short-staff stations on a rotating basis by 87 firefighters. According to Pat McOsker, President of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles, the last time the city made similar cuts, [...]

Read the full article →

LAFD to shut down stations due to $39 million budget deficit

July 22, 2009

Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) – Unable to win concessions from the firefighters union, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today approved a plan to reduce the Fire Department’s projected $39 million budget deficit by not staffing several fire companies and ambulances on a rotating basis starting Aug. 6. Villaraigosa called the measures “difficult but necessary.” United Firefighters of Los [...]

Read the full article →

Mass. firefighters in sick leave case say rights were denied

July 21, 2009

HAVERHILL, Mass. — Private investigators are used to conducting video surveillance on city workers only after the employee has been warned and given a chance to fix the problem on his or her own, Mayor James Fiorentini has said. But the four firefighters facing suspensions for allegedly violating the city’s sick leave rules were never [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →