Providence Fire Fighters Picket U.S. Conference of Mayors

June 15, 2009 – Picket lines in Providence, Rhode Island began June 12 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, culminating a week in which Vice President Joe Biden and more than 25 members of the Obama administration canceled plans to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ event in Providence rather than cross a picket line protesting Mayor David Cicilline’s treatment of Providence Local 799 fire fighters. The Conference, which began June 12, runs through June 16.

The Obama administration informed the U.S. Conference of Mayors that Vice President Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, Senior Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and other cabinet members and senior-level Obama administration staffers would respect the picket.

Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) and Representative Chaka Fattah (D-PA) also decided not to cross the picket line.

“That’s a powerful message coming directly from the president and vice president of the Unites States,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “This is another example of the administration’s unqualified support for workers and organized labor.”

Paul Doughty, president of Local 799, also praised the Obama administration for agreeing to honor the picket. “It’s a new era to have a White House that takes labor seriously.”

Local 799, which has been in a long-running dispute with Mayor Cicilline over contract matters, had told the Obama administration that it would call off its picket if Cicilline stayed away from the Conference, but the mayor declined to do so.

Doughty says the mayor’s refusal to skip the Conference highlights what has been going on for years.

Providence fire fighters supported Cicilline in his initial run for mayor after he promised he would negotiate a fair contract. But Mayor Cicilline has consistently opposed fire fighters since his election in 2002.

Local 799’s last contract expired in 2005 and Providence fire fighters have been forced to arbitrate their last seven collective agreements. Mayor Cicilline has fought Local 799 in arbitration and lost nearly every battle. The mayor has also fostered additional ill-will by introducing state legislation and city ordinances against Providence fire fighters.

“We tried to settle our differences with the mayor, but he continues to antagonize the hard-working fire fighters of Local 799,” says Doughty.

Press Release: IAFF Thanks Obama Administration for Supporting Providence Fire Fighters