05/14/2016
From Vincent Fusco, President of the Hartford Firefighters Association IAFF Local 760
Local 760 IAFF AFL-CIO is the exclusive bargaining representative of all firefighters employed by the City of Hartford. As such, we are required to bargain in good faith over wages, hours and conditions of employment. On Friday May 27, 2016 we are meeting with the City to begin negotiating a successor Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Agreement that expires June 30, 2016. Each party has the rights to bring any proposals for changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the table at that time. The Mayor, however, prior to this statutory process has made it clear publicly that he will not agree to any successor agreement that does not reduce Fire Department cost by fifteen million dollars annually. He has proposed publicly to require firefighters to work a 56 hour work week, and closing two companies, reducing pay by reverting to 2014-2015 levels, provide no wage increases for 3 years, eliminate grow increments, eliminate post 65 year old health benefits, eliminate post employment health benefits for all firefighters hired on or after July 1, 2007 (adversely effecting over 130 current firefighters, and significantly reducing pension benefits for current and future firefighters.
Based on the Mayor's stand, it is no wonder that all firefighters eligible to retire are doing so. In his May 13 Op-Ed the Mayor, rather than bargaining with Local 760, is attempting to illegally bargain directly with our members, and promising to not adversely affect those members who have voluntarily elected to protect their families before the Mayor's projected decimation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by retiring.
Local 760 has not, nor will it bargain in the press. We have a statutory duty to apprise our members of the City's stance referenced above. Our members must and apparently have made reasoned decisions to protect their families rather than continue to work under unsafe sub-par working conditions for lower pay and inferior benefits.
Local 760 has worked tirelessly with the City in the past to keep costs down. We are party to a Health Care Cost Containment Committee that collectively seeks the most cost effective Health Care Benefits. In 2007, Local 760 proposed a HDHP/HSA which the city refused to implement, even though it would have saved the City Millions. The Union negotiated a VEBA Trust for new hires, which again would save the City millions in GASB liabilities in 2007. This VEBA has not been implemented.
This Mayor has demonstrated by his Op-Ed that he has no intention of playing by the rules. It was first evident, when before he attempted to negotiate with us, he had already drafted language to present to the State Legislature that would strip all collective bargaining rights from the unionized employees. He then presented a list of proposals so draconian, you don't even know how to reply. We have told this Mayor from the beginning that his proposals would dramatically sacrifice the safety of our members and the citizens in two ways. First, the increase in hours worked and a reduction of two fire companies would radically decrease our standard of coverage placing firefighters and citizens at risk. Secondly, it would lead to a reduction of the senior, experienced members of this department, due the nature of his proposals. We also told him that We would not be a party to negatively impacting the safety of our members, or the citizens. That would have to be his sole decision that he would have to live with. The Men and Woman of the Hartford Fire Fighters Association are willing to part of the solution for the City's problems. We are not willing to jeopardize the safety the citizens we serve or our other members.
