March 31, 2008
City Versus the Unions?
Today's Globe featured a story on the tremendous pull that police and fire unions have on city government. Roderick Fraser Jr. heads the fire department, but Local 718 Ed Kelly has his own ideas for the direction of the fire department.
Mayor Menino's disputes with the fire department, particularly over the issue of drug testing after the Tai Ho Restaurant fire, which killed firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne, are notorious. It still isn't clear what would be wrong with random drug testing--as long as it stays random--but it seems the fire department wants something in return.
Donovan Slack's article indicates that the fire department isn't just battling Menino, it's battling itself. The article turns into a biographical sketch of Fraser, but it's clear that he's Menino's man, and therefore the pro-union forces within the fire department will resist him. The story seems awfully similar to the problems Police Commissioner Ed Davis faces as he seeks to increase punishments for officers who break the rules or flat-out break the law.
What's frustrating about this debate is, whether you're pro-union or pro-mayor, is this really helping city residents get the service they deserve?
Photo by Paul Keleher from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
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Unions were great at the turn of the century, but today they are dinosaurs that exist to fund themselves and the egos of those that run them. This is just another prime example of the excessive power of unions. The Police and Fire Departments should run the way any other company in the world runs, if you don't like it quit. If your complaint is valid, than enough people will quit that management will need to change to stay alive. And if your complaint is not valid than you will be looking for a job while your co-workers are happy that the whiner is gone!
You think Police/Fire is just like any other company?
I might be able to agree with you about unions being somewhat outdated, though.