Fire Fighters Call on Newton Mayor to Settle Contract 

More than 400 fire fighters from across New England joined IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, Newton, MA Local 863 President Francis Capello Jr., IAFF 3rd District Vice President Michael Mullane, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts President Bob McCarthy and Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes in a rally at Newton City Hall, calling on Mayor David Cohen to settle on a new contract for Local 863 fire fighters.

The battle for a new contract is into its fourth year – the Newton fire fighters’ contract expired June 30, 2003. The stalemate is a sick-time policy requiring fire fighters to file notes from their doctors whenever they call in to use sick leave. The city even goes to the extent of requiring fire fighters to get notes from doctors if they stay home to take care of a sick child or relative.

While this provision is included in all Newton public employee contracts, it’s only being enforced for the fire fighters. The City says it is doing so because of high sick leave use, however, it used doctored numbers when it sold this story to the media. An apples-to-apples comparison of the real data show that fire fighter sick leave is not out of line with other public employee groups.

“Four years is way too long to be without a contract,” said President Schaitberger. “We need to make sure Mayor Cohen knows why we’re here – we want a contract and we want it now!”

Local 863 leaders had hoped to resolve the dispute in talks with the mayor, but Cohen would rather go to binding arbitration than negotiate with the union. The issue is scheduled to go to the Massachusetts State Joint Labor-Management Committee for resolution.

“It’s an issue of respect,” says Capello. “He’s discriminating against the fire fighters and making inappropriate accusations about our use of sick leave.”

The local’s adversarial relationship with Mayor Cohen began soon after he was elected in 2001. Since then, the fire department has been overlooked in the City budget, while the sick note policy is one of many problems, including deplorable living conditions, outdated equipment and major dispatch issues.

In August, at the 48th Biennial Convention, the IAFF unanimously passed a censure of Mayor Cohen.

“Mayor Cohen needs to make public safety, the fire department and the members of Local 863 a priority and give them a contract that treats fire fighters fairly,” Schaitberger told the crowd gathered at City Hall.

"We came here today to rally and meet with Mayor Cohen, but the continued disrespect he's shown fire fighters means he wants a fight," Schaitberger said. "And if it's a fight he wants, well, then he'll get the fight of his life with this IAFF -- but he sure as hell won't get a meeting with us. We'll see him in arbitration."