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March 31, 2006, 05:01 PM
Contract negotiators for the Memphis Fire Fighters Union and the City
started Friday like many others... miles apart.
"I'd like to tell you that there were just a few issues," said Thomas
Malone, Chief Union Negotiator. "We have the whole contract to resolve.
We've got the whole contract that we've done nothing with."
After five weeks of negotiations, and just hours before a city
ordinance-imposed deadline to complete them, all issues regarding money
--pay, benefits, everything-- remained on the table and unsettled.
"Every time we've proposed something, we feel like they haven't even
considered it," Malone said.
While both side worked to hammer out an agreement, one very real
consideration was how any deal would affect taxpayers footing the bill in
the midst of a citywide budget crunch.
"If they start cutting things the level of service that the citizens of
Memphis have come to expect will be lowered," said firefighter Billy
Freeman.
Union leaders said they recognize maintaining that level of service isn't
cheap, but said their members have expectations, too.
"We've proposed an increase in our rates, but we've also proposed some
other things to help pay for it," Malone said. "We're not advocating a tax
increase. We pay taxes ourselves."
For now, it's back to the bargaining table, where the only thing both
sides seem to agree on is there is a lot left to do and not a whole lot of
time in which to do it.
According to officials within Mayor Herenton's office, Human Resources
Director Dr. Lorene Essex is the city's point person for these
negotiations. Calls made to her office by Action News 5 on Friday were not
returned by the deadline for this story.
Firefighters were not the only Memphis Union in negotiations Friday. The
city is working to hammer out agreements with 14 other unions by midnight.
That means representatives for other agencies will work through the night
too.
"Working people look around this city they see buildings going up, housing
going up and that kind of thing," said AFSCME Director Dorothy Cook. "They
can't afford those things based on the salary that they get, and yet
nobody in City Hall wants to go out and pick up any garbage."
Stay with Action News 5 and WMCTV.com for the very latest on contract
negotiations.
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