Cicilline Hits Airwaves on Firefighter Fight

Media Matters: Globe on the Block and WPRO in the Playpen

Boston Globe Union Rejects Cuts

2 Comments

• tekpfd said:

  [quote]These are tough times for Providence.  I’ve cut spending and city employees have trimmed benefits….everyone but the fire fighters.[/quote]

  The fact is that Providence firefighters have offered concessions which would have saved the city millions of dollars, including paying 15% of our health care costs.

  [quote]Our fire service is the most expensive in America.  The average firefighter costs Providence $132,000 a year…some retired firefighters collect pensions of over $100,000.   We just can’t afford it.[/quote]

  The fact is that Providence's fire service is not the most expensive in America. It is not even the most expensive in RI. The average of $132,000 he speaks of includes chiefs (who are not part of our union) and excessive overtime due to being more than 60 firefighters short of normal totals. He uses 2007 figures and the city (due in part to the insistance of our union) has hired about 60 new firefighters since then.

  [quote]I’ve offered twelve different contracts to the firefighters… Fair deals with the kind of guaranteed pay raises and health benefits that people in this city can only hope for. The firefighters turned them all down.[/quote]

  The fact is that every one of these 12 "different" contract offers were almost identical. They all had a provision to cut daily staffing by more than 12 firefighters on the fire trucks!

  June 13, 2009 5:15 PM

• tekpfd said:

  I am a Prov Fire Lieutenant with 29 years on the job.

  You know that figure that Cicilline touts in his radio ad of $132,000 per average firefighter in Providence? It is a fantasy!!

  It is based on 2007 payroll figures. It includes "excessive" overtime amounts for most firefighters. The reason for this excessive amount is that Cicilline decided that it was cheaper to pay the overtime than to fill the 60+ vacant positions with new firefighters. Since then (in large part due to pressure from Local 799) there have been 58 new firefighters hired. Overtime has diminished considerably.

  Also, the $132,000 figure included approximately 20-25 Fire Chiefs. Fire Chiefs make the highest salaries on the department. FIRE CHIEFS ARE NOT PART OF THE UNION!!

  As for the last 58 firefighters hired that EMT speaks of, none of them were on that 2007 payroll list because they weren't hired until 2008.

  As I said, I'm a 29 year fire Lieutenant. There is only 1 rank above me and not more than 25 guys on the department with more years of service, so I'll have one of the highest base costs of salary and benefits.

  Heres mine:

  Salary - $59,995

  BC/BS - $12,377

  Pension- $ 4,892

  Total - $77,264

  That's my total base cost to the city...not close to $132,000 is it?

  Like I stated, the "excessive" overtime was reduced in 2008 and further reduced in 2009 due to new firefighters.

  These figures (which you can check yourself @ themoneytrail.org/.../Providence%20Municipal%20Payroll.pdf ) will show you the difference between "fact" and what Cicilline continues to put out there.

  If you want to verify my numbers or ask any question about this issue, our contract or our picket contact me at tekpfd@yahoo.com

  I depend on my credibility to defend our position and I will not allow myself to get caught in a lie and destroy that credibility. I know that our (Local 799) position in this impasse is defendable on its own merit.

  Feel free to contact me, anyone.

  June 15, 2009 8:54 AM

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