So Now What?

It is very important that the Fire Union understands where they are in time currently, and where they need to go.  In Tuesday evening’s meeting, the entire Council gave direction to the City Manager and Fire Chief concerning the parameters of Civil Service going forward.  The Union doesn’t like it.  So now things are in “concrete,” for the City, unless the Union does something.  Meet and Confer is leaving at the end of November.  Civil Service will start at the end of October, and the 30 day deadline for putting in your retirement papers is at the end of September.  So these are the parameters that will frame the process going forward.    The urgency is obvious, unless Crow maintains his “concrete” position.  Obviously, after my talking with Chris, Crow sent his email, stating that he is now ready to meet.  Although the City didn’t have to, that meeting will occur this next week.  Good for him, it’s about time.  First off let me state that I called Chris to meet.  I didn’t have to do that, but for the citizens of Arlington I feel compelled to build as good a fire department as possible under the guidelines of civil service, and I reached out to him.
Other than the “concrete” statement, Crow has stated two other things that stuck in my head.  1) “Your benefits will not be touched because I have contacted all the Councilmembers except Parker, and they have assured me of this.”  I thought this statement odd because Ms. Capehart was in England for two weeks.  So I asked if anyone had been contacted by Mr. Crow about firefighter benefits and the answer was a resounding NO.   Again Mr. Crow stood in front of you and lied.  This style of leadership is truly problematic, and the only way to move forward, in my mind is to remove the problem.   But it is your Union.   2)  The evening of the election Crow stated, “there will be hell to pay but we will do it with civil service”.  I believe this to be one of the few true statements that Crow has made in the entire campaign.  So civil service was given to you by the voters.  The Council’s responsibility to the voters is to operate within the parameters of Part 143.  But in arriving at this conclusion there seems to be a reality as to just what that means.  I have written numerous blog articles stating plainly that there will not be a cherry picking event, concerning the benefits that you currently enjoy under Part 142.  But you didn’t believe me, you believed Crow and look where that got you.  You will not have it as good as you currently do, that is simply the truth.  But the Fire Union is totally responsible for the reduction in the quality of life in the Arlington Fire Department.  It isn’t the Council.  
So now you are in a position to negotiate.  This is a very narrow window to accomplish what needs to be done.  I would suggest that the Union put a reasonable solution in front of the City, belligerence and hostility will not play well here.  Good luck.  
As a side note I get all the Anonymous comments written to me. Some are good and they get posted, but some are directly from the playground with a child’s mentality.  Those don’t normally get published.  I reacted to one that I probably shouldn’t have and it was removed along with the provocateur’s post.  I will apologize.  You see I have never challenged the courage required to do your job.  By the same standard you can’t possibly understand the resolve that I or current carrier pilots face each day to protect the right for you to post Anonymously.  Have enough courage to put your name next to your post , or have enough common sense to post reasonably.  Your current attitudes will not further your position favorably.