Boston firefighters may have had enough. After more than three years they are still working without a contract, and many are just plain pissed.
Ed Kelly, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, is on the receiving end of the firefighters ire. Unable to secure a contract in “contentious” negotiations, they say Kelly then spent $150,000 in advertising in a failed attempt to unseat powerful Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week.
Firefighters had mounted a heavy battle to keep Menino from winning an unprecedented fifth four-year term, hoping to get a new negotiating partner and approve a more palatable contract. Now they’ll have to chance arbitration set for December, with a ruling three to five months away after that.
Contract negotiations had stalled when the union would not accept the city’s demands for random drug and alcohol testing A fatal ladder truck accident last year blamed on brake failure also put equipment maintenance in the spotlight.
Kelly offered no regrets on his election role. “The Boston firefighters stood together,” he said. “Unfortunately our candidate did not win, but we showed that we are willing to stand up to get true reform.”
Yes, they did. Nearly $45,000 was contributed between the local and individual firefighters loyal to the effort.
With the contentious election behind them, it appears that many within Local 718 are starting to look for new blood at the top. ”There is a hunger for new leadership,” said a 52-year-old firefighter who asked his name be withheld. “We have waited long enough for a contract, and this plan clearly did not work.”
In fact, the arbitrator’s ruling could decide Kelly’s fate, one high-ranking firefighter surmised, saying, “If it falls unfavorably to us, the membership is gonna want a change.”
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