FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2004
CONTACT: David Peters, 401-965-1068;
                  Jeff Zack (202) 360-9778; jzack@iaff.org
                  Jim McBride (202) 824-1566; jmcbride@iaff.org 

JOHN EDWARDS CANCELS PROVIDENCE CAMPAIGN EVENT IN SUPPORT OF PROVIDENCE FIRE FIGHTERS

Mayor’s presence dooms campaign event

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Kerry/Edwards campaign once again demonstrated its support for fire fighters when it cancelled a campaign event featuring John Edwards today in Providence after the city’s fire fighters, who have been without a contract for four years, threatened to picket the event because of the presence of Mayor David Cicilline, who is responsible for the contract delay.

“Providence fire fighters serve the public faithfully, and that fact was recognized today by John Edwards and other Democratic leaders in Rhode Island, and we thank them for that,” said David Peters, President of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 799 in Providence. “Maybe the Mayor will get the message that he’s not in sync with the rest of the Democratic Party by being unfair to those who protect the public.”

Local 799 members have gone four years without a contract because of the failure of Mayor Cicilline to negotiate fairly. On top of demands for more out-of-pocket costs for fire fighters’ health care, the Mayor is demanding staffing cuts that threaten fire fighter safety, he refuses to resolve pension issues that have been open for 12 years, and he refuses to negotiate on salary in a way that recognizes the lack of a contract for the past four years.

“John Kerry and John Edwards have their priorities straight when it comes to supporting fire fighters and ensuring that our first responders are taken care of,” said Harold Schaitberger, IAFF General President. “Mayor Cicilline needs to be more representative of those who do the work in his community, rather than fighting them, and we will stand with our Providence members until they receive the contract they deserve.”

The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the 16th largest union among the 64 national unions that makeup the AFL-CIO/CLC, representing more than 267,000 professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80 percent of the population on the continent. More than 2,900 affiliates protect nearly 6,000 communities in every region in Canada and in every state in the U.S. The IAFF is one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington and its Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, is in the top 1% of all PACs. The IAFF has experienced 35 consecutive years of membership growth.

IAFF members have taken a prominent role in the Kerry/Edwards campaign for President, as their widely-recognized gold and black “IAFF Fire Fighters for Kerry/Edwards” t-shirts and signs have become a staple of campaign events ever since the union became the first to endorse John Kerry in September 2003.

About the International Association of Fire Fighters - www.iaff.org