St. Louis firefighters were told last week that they'd be subject to 30 layoffs. Yesterday, Comptroller Darlene Green said she would push a plan to furlough firefighters instead of laying them off.
Today, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatchreports, the firefighters have responded.
The full statement from the International Association of Firefighters Local 73 is below.
Some takeaways:
- The firefighters' union says that their members "look forward to" and would "seriously consider" Green's official proposal.
- The union also recognizes Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed along with Green for being "willing to work towards a compromise with mutual respect."
- The actions of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay's administration are called "heavy handed and aggressive" and, the union says, "will only result in failure."
The final decision on the layoff situation rests with the city's Board of Estimate & Apportionment (Slay, Green and Reed), which has a meeting scheduled for Friday, the Post-Dispatch says.
Full Statement from the International Association of Firefighters Local 73:
"We appreciate Comptroller Greens efforts to avoid the layoff of 30 Firefighters. We applaud her strength and integrity to stand up to those that would jeopardize public safety purely out of spite. A 48 hour unpaid furlough, in addition to the $1,600 in annual shift differential pay that firefighters already lost last year would be painful. However, if this is something that is part of a comprehensive contract that provides for the security of our members, our membership would seriously consider Comptroller Green's proposal. We look forward to seeing her official proposal.
We appreciate elected officials like Board President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green who are willing to work towards a compromise with mutual respect. Mutual respect and cooperation is how we will all succeed in our mission of serving and protecting the City of St. Louis. We believe the heavy handed and aggressive attacks on Firefighters made by the Slay administration will only result in failure.
Jeff Glorioso
Secretary-Treasurer
IAFF Local 73"
