TFD hard hit under budget plan

DOWNTOWN TOLEDO - Representatives from Toledo Firefighter's Union Local 92 believe they are being hit harder than most departments within the city following Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's 14-point budget plan outline.

Mayor Finkbeiner's plan calls for the union to take two fire rigs out of service and reduce its daily minimum staffing of uniformed officers.

Local 92 Union President Captain James Martin doesn't believe the mayor has the authority to reduce his mandatory manning as outlined in the union contract with the city.

Capt. Martin anticipates filing a grievance and wishes to seek arbitration on the matter.

"Why he thinks he has the ability to reduce our manning to a lower unsafe level, I'm not sure who is giving him advice and what they're telling him as to his authority in the matter," Capt. Martin told FOXToledo.com.

The clause that sets a daily mandatory minimum of 193 uniformed officers on duty was negotiated decades ago, Martin said. Mayor Finkbeiner wants to reduce that number to 99, marking the the first time the city's fire department would lower daily staffing levels in more than 20 years.

The Glass City's fire department has been running on a very razor-thin staff level. Local 92's levels are the lowest level in the State of Ohio. To reduce it any further would be dangerous, Capt. Martin added.

The fire department has been averaging 10,000 runs annually with the same amount of manpower it was using back in 1994.

"Putting the two rigs out of service is going to create longer response times and unsafe conditions for both the citizens and firefighters themselves," said Capt. Martin said, who is skeptical if all cost saving and reduction avenues to the budget have been explored.

"Our position is that anything that could cost someone serious injury or death, I don't know how to put a price on that - but apparently somebody has."

The city's fire union is prepared to oppose the Mayor Finkbeiner's budget plan.

"We will stand up and fight for the safety of our citizens and our members to invoke our contract langauge the way it was intended."

Local 92 was granted a temporary restraining order Friday afternoon from Lucas County Court of Common Pleas Judge Linda Jennings. The restraining order was granted in order to stop city officials from reducing daily manpower and taking two trucks out of service.

Finkbeiner's 14-point plan includes taking Ladder Truck 25 and Rescue Unit 5 out of service. Ladder Truck 25 is the closest aerial ladder to the University of Toledo, the Toledo Hospital and Westfield Franklin Park Mall.

Concerning the temporary restraining order, Mr. Finkbeiner said the city has taken the necessary steps to save the city money as well as protect its citizens.

"The level of public protection would have been virtually unaffected, while savings of approximately $4,000 per day would be realized," the mayor said in a statement released Friday evening. "The union filed a lawsuit against the City, claiming that the City’s action would violate the union contract. The City does not believe the contract was violated by these sensible cost-saving measures."

Capt. Martin said the moves are unconscionable and doesn't understand Finkbeiner's reasoning to mothball the aerial ladder.

A Feb. 25 hearing will determine whether an injunction can be made to make for the Finkbeiner administration go through with arbitration.
 

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