Thousands of firefighters will march on City Hall Thursday
Mayor Nutter apparently didn't respond to an invitation to speak Monday to the International Association of Fire Fighters at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. So on Thursday, the 3,500 union members in town for their annual convention will come to him.
Thousands of firefighters will march on City Hall Thursday
Chris Brennan
Mayor Nutter apparently didn't respond to an invitation to speak Monday to the International Association of Fire Fighters at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. So on Thursday, the 3,500 union members in town for their annual convention will come to him.
Bill Gault, president of Local 22, says the conventioneers will march down Broad Street Thursday around lunch-time to City Hall, where they will protest Nutter's lack of action so far on a July 2 ruling by a binding arbitration panel that largely upheld terms of a 2010 ruling and giving them retroactive pay raises, more money for health care and protection from furloughs.
Nutter has until Aug. 2 to appeal or accept the terms of that ruling. His spokesman, Mark McDonald, this morning said he had not heard about the firefighter march. McDonald said the Nutter administration doesn't have a response yet on the arbitration ruling.
Jeff Zack, a spokesman for the IAFF in Washington D.C., confirmed Thursday's march. "We're well aware of what's happening here," Zack said of the contract dispute. "I imagine they'll be pretty loud."
Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak Wednesday at 1 p.m. to the convention. The IAFF last month endorsed Biden and President Obama for re-election. As we noted two weeks ago, the local dispute could cast a pall on Nutter's growing national reputation.
Local 22 members on Monday passed out fliers at two entrances to the convention, asking for support from their fellow union members. The fliers said: "Please. We need your help. Philadelphia firefighters have been without a contract for three years, Mayor Nutter refuses to sign the legally arbitrated award. Please ask your delegates to demand that Mayor Nutter sign the award. Thank you and stay safe. Please stand with us!"
It would do some people well to know the issues. Act 111. Binding Arbitration. The repeated history of the City not honoring it's legal responsibilities. If you don't know all of the facts, it's better to keep your mouth shut and 'appear' ignorant than to open it and 'confirm' it.— Mike from Rox- Name one issue that Nutter has handled well. I can't think of ONE!— Boru
- No other Mayor has treated firefighters like dirt as Nutter has done. He has gone after them since he took office permantley closed 7 fire companies, brownout fire companies 6 everyday, continues to try and remove paramedics from their union. 2 dead firemen and no answers. Nutter's public safety record is a disgrace.— Jedi
- Things would work a lot better without unions. They were useful at one time but now they are just thugs and gangsters out to rip off the corporations and taxpayers. They really have become a cancer on our society.— Bill fields
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“Things would work a lot better without unions.”
“On May 2nd, 1933, the day after Labor day, Nazi groups occupied union halls and labor leaders were arrested. Trade Unions were outlawed by Adolf Hitler, while collective bargaining and the right to strike was abolished. This was the beginning of a consolidation of power by the fascist regime which systematically wiped out all opposition groups, starting with unions, ....
Fast forward to America today, particularly Wisconsin. Governor Walker and the Republican/Tea Party members of the state legislature are attempting to pass a bill that..... would effectively end 50 years to the right of these workers to collectively bargain." - Municipal Unions representing Police and Fire have very little in common with Unions and the Trade Unions in Philadelphia. They have no real union clout. They are not allowed to strike. They've watched their numbers dwindle. They have to abide by "binding arbitration" while the City ignores it. Their concern for Public Safety (against cuts) is portrayed as greed and thuggery. Go figure... The local media is doing a bang-up PR job for Nutter.— Mike from Rox
- The INKY should give firefighters more right than wrong. The Mayor reads one paper they read hundreds of papers. It's about revenue and audience. INKY play to the readship you may do better.— Clark_Kent_SuperHero
- The firefighters should detail where they expect the money to come from. Which other area of city government will have their funding cut by the EXACT amount expected by the firefighters?? Education, parks, streets, police??? Details please. I will be waiting.— kelprod2
- I'm sure the $900K payoff to Ackerman could have helped. I'd like to know how many of his deputy mayors have gotten raises over the past 5 years. Also how many new city departments have been added. You keep complaining about the city unions but that is the only thing keeping city jobs from only going to friends and family of politicians. Do you think he wouldn't honor arbitration if you had to be a friend of his or one of his donor's to get a job on the fire department? — gemini48
- gemini48...I applaud the effort, but you have totally failed to answer the question. The money you have mentioned is gone. Spent. Lost forever. It is not coming back.
Try again...please DETAIL for us EXACTLY which city funding will be cut from other areas to pay for these firefighter demands. Education? Police? Parks? Where? Again, please do be specific.— kelprod2 - And don't forget all the money that was spent creating 311. How's that working out for most people? — gemini48
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I agree that sure as he//
was one expensively dumb idea.
If we’re lucky Nutter has run out of dumb ideas.
News Flash--- Nutter cuts a ribbon at Library closing---just kidding… - See my previous post. The award has savings for the city in the millions because of health care concessions. It also spells out the 500 million in new spending the city has taken on in pet projects. That is where the money is coming from.— jn3
- They lost all of their power when they split from the police department in the 90 's, (11,000 is stronger than 3000) the police are getting raise after raise and can move out of this dump of a city. Backing idiots like Milton street for mayor and having an idiot like Gaul as a president doesn't help.— Mayfairnomo
- Using the 50 Million for an ice skating rink at Dilworth Plaza would be a start. 500 million for sports stadiums. Why does the public pay for stadiums kelprod. There are a lot of pet projects and a lot of discretionary spending that now take priority over public safety.— Mike from Rox
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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