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What world are Boston’s firefighters living in?









Across the city - across the entire country - people are hurting. Those of us
lucky enough to keep jobs have seen our paychecks slashed. We’re taking
calculators to the supermarket, vacationing at home, wondering how long our
savings will last.





And yet here is Firefighters Local 718 holding out for raises and benefits
totaling between 21 and 24 percent over five years, depending on whom you’re
asking - the city or the union.





The city had offered firefighters 14 percent over four years in 2007 - just what
the police got - and the union shot it down. After the economy tanked last fall,
the city amended its offer, offering 10.5 percent over three years.





That looks sweet to me. Especially when you consider that the average Boston
firefighter makes about $85,000 a year, higher ranking officers $115,000.


Still, it’s no surprise Boston’s firefighters expect better. Like spoiled
children, they’ve grown accustomed to getting their way.


Certainly, Mayor Tom Menino has caved in to them plenty in the past, after their
public campaigns against him. In 2001, he freed them to use the “king for a
day’’ rule, which allows those who claim an injury while acting in a
superior’s position the right to disability benefits at the higher pay grade -
even if they do the superior’s job for only a day.





So the firefighters have declared war again. Last week, they protested the
commissioner’s decision to shut down fire companies for a day to avoid
ballooning overtime costs when too many firefighters call in sick. Even though
city watchdogs said the closures weren’t unusual and didn’t endanger
residents, union president Ed Kelly and his members gave out fliers in South
Boston that read, “You and your family are in DANGER. Mayor Menino is gambling
with your lives!’’


That kind of tactic has worked in the past. What Kelly and his members don’t
seem to realize, however, is that these are different times. Not just for the
economy, but for firefighters, whose heroism has, too often, been overshadowed
by scandal in recent years.





Their image has slipped. Consider the results of a Globe mayoral poll in May
that asked respondents what effect the firefighters endorsement of City
Councilor Michael Flaherty would have. Twice as many said it would make them
less likely to vote for Flaherty as said it would make them more likely to back
him.


Firefighters have come to symbolize pension abuse, making so many iffy
disability claims that the FBI is investigating. Last year, 76 percent of
firefighters who retired did so on disability, earning tax-free pensions. Nearly
half of them claimed career-ending injuries while working out of grade.
Lawmakers recently shut down the king for a day outrage, and there was a
stampede to retire before the new rules kicked in.





If abuse happens, their argument goes, blame the mayor. He opened the door.
They’re just walking through it. “The flaws in the Fire Department are
management flaws,’’ Kelly said outside a South Boston firehouse on Thursday.
“Those firefighters are exercising their rights under the law. Is that
illegal?’’


Well, no, it isn’t, assuming the claims are genuine. But it sure makes them
look bad.


The union’s reluctance to submit to drug and alcohol testing without
compensation makes them look worse. Making sure firefighters are sober in
potentially deadly situations should not be a matter for bargaining.





Kelly doesn’t seem to get that, and a lot of other things. Ask him why his
firefighters deserve so much more while the rest of us are making do with less
and his answer is simple: because the city can afford it. But since it’s our
money the city would be spending, what he’s really saying is we can afford it.


We can’t. If Kelly lived in our world, he’d know that.


Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist.








If I am supposed to be outraged, I would like to be sure about the facts first.
Where does it say the Boston firefighters are asking for a 30% raise? And where
are their incomes documented? I have Googled and come up dry (other than finding
one example of a firefighter's income - $48,299 - in Boston Magazine). And to
put it in proper perspective,

- when was the last time they got a raise?
- how does their current pay compare to that of firefighters in other major
American cities
- for extra credit, what does this have to do with Belmont's budget?

Note that if the average rate of inflation is 4%, 30% over five years is 2%/year
when measured in effective increase in spending power. To merely stay even in
terms of spending power the raise would have to be 20% over five years. Looking
at what a firefighter gets per year is a more useful perspective when discussing
whether the raise is merited. Also let's remember that when you go to negotiate
a deal, you always ask for more than you expect to end up with.

Debbie

--- In Belmont_MA@yahoogroups.com , paul looney <pjlooneyjr@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Does it bother anyone that Boston Firefighters are asking for a 30% raise on
top of their $85k to $115k incomes over the next 5 years while the Private
sector is deluged with major across the board pay cuts and benefit losses? Is
that what you folks mean by saying we should raise taxes and pay for it ? I mean
why not trust all the State politicians with more money... they will need it for
lawyers to defend them during the perp walk that is so common now among
Massacusetts politicians.
>
> PJ
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>




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