Arbitrators to enter firefighters contract talks
Why it matters: Chicago needs firefighters, but the situation is super complicated.
State of play: We've got a proudly pro-labor mayor negotiating with a union of revered professionals, but professionals who are seeing fewer calls for fire emergencies while calls for medical assistance have soared.
Throw in the fact that Local 2 is not allowed to strike and it also represents paramedics (who work out of firehouses), and you've got yourself a Gordian knot.
The latest: A process called "interest arbitration" starts Wednesday, when a third party will bring the two sides together to "try to find middle ground on unsolved issues," the Sun-Times reports.
If they can't agree, each side will present its best offer and the arbitrator will decide.
Zoom in: One of the biggest issues is a union call to reduce the number of daily "variances" that allow engines to operate with four rather than five staffers from 35 to 30. The city wants to double the variances.
Local 2 also wants standard annual equipment purchases and 20 more ambulances to add to a busy fleet of 80.
Between the lines: With medical calls outnumbering fire calls 3 to 1 due to better fire safety, among other things, everyone agrees the Fire Department needs more ambulances. The question is whether they should be secured at the expense of firefighting resources.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared to think they should after reading a 2022 report that recommended shifting staff from fire engines to ambulances, per the Tribune. But then she lost reelection.
Despite initial reluctance, Mayor Brandon Johnson seems to have come to the same conclusion.
What he's saying:"There's a greater need for ambulatory care than there is for traditional fire trucks," Johnson told the Sun-Times/WBEZ last week, noting that our infrastructure is "not as nimble and flexible as it needs to be."
The other side:"Understaffing and overworking firefighters or paramedics leads to increased injuries and deaths," Local 2 president Pat Cleary tells Axios.
"If the city can find the money to hire 800 additional CPS employees, they can find the money to keep our members safe. CFD employees should not be expected to sacrifice their lives. Their families should expect them to return home after their shift."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mamdani rips reported Trump moves in New York City mayor race
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani heavily criticized reported moves by President Trump regarding the mayoral race. 'Today we learned Andrew Cuomo is directly coordinating with Donald Trump, even as this President sends masked agents to rip our neighbors off the streets and guts the social services so many New Yorkers rely on,' Mamdani said in a Wednesday post on the social platform X. 'It's disqualifying and a betrayal of our city,' he added. The New York Times reported Wednesday that eight sources said the president talked in private about stepping into the race in an attempt to stop Mamdani from winning the November election. According to the Times, a Republican congressman and New York businessmen have been recently pressed by the president about which of Mamdani's rivals they believe could win against the Democratic nominee. Trump and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a candidate for New York City mayor, discussed the race in a phone call within the last few weeks, the Times also reported. But Cuomo on Thursday pushed back on the report. 'I can't remember the last time I spoke to President Trump,' Cuomo said during a press conference, adding that he has 'never spoken to him about the mayor's race.' Mamdani's Wednesday post also featured a video clip of himself discussing the Times report, slamming Trump for 'conspiring' with Cuomo. 'It is Donald Trump himself who has been directly conspiring with candidates who have decided to give up the people that they are supposed to protect, in lieu of securing power through the assistance of that same administration in Washington, D.C.,' the New York State Assembly member said. The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Cuomo and the White House for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19 hours ago
- The Hill
Mamdani rips reported Trump moves in NYC mayor race
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani heavily criticized reported moves by President Trump regarding the race. 'Today we learned Andrew Cuomo is directly coordinating with Donald Trump, even as this President sends masked agents to rip our neighbors off the streets and guts the social services so many New Yorkers rely on,' Mamdani said in a Wednesday post on the social platform X. 'It's disqualifying and a betrayal of our city,' he added. The New York Times reported Wednesday that eight sources said the president talked in private about stepping into the race in an attempt to stop Mamdani from winning the November election. According to the Times, a Republican congressman and New York businessmen have been recently pressed by the president about which of Mamdani's rivals they believe could upset the Democratic nominee. Trump and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a candidate for New York City mayor, discussed the race in a phone call within the last few weeks, the Times also reported. But Cuomo on Thursday pushed back on the report. 'I can't remember the last time I spoke to President Trump,' Cuomo said during a press conference, adding that he has 'never spoken to him about the mayor's race.' Mamdani's Wednesday post also featured a video clip of himself discussing The Times report, slamming Trump for 'conspiring' with Cuomo. 'It is Donald Trump himself who has been directly conspiring with candidates who have decided to give up the people that they are supposed to protect, in lieu of securing power through the assistance of that same administration in Washington, D.C.,' the New York state Assembly member said.
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Cuomo flatly denies recent phone call with Trump, as he walks back fighting stance against the prez
Mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo flatly denied Thursday that he recently had a phone call with Donald Trump, as he backpedaled his past fighting stance against the president. Cuomo, when pressed about a New York Times report about the supposed conversation, called it 'false.' 'I've never spoken to him about the mayor's race,' he said. NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo has bluntly denied having a phone call with President Trump, calling the allegation 'false'. Matthew McDermott The former governor, who was holding an event touting his affordability agenda, said the last time he called Trump was after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt last July, when he left a message. Cuomo also tried to play down another Times report that he told business bigwigs in a Wednesday meeting he wasn't 'personally' looking for a fight with Trump, even likening their long relationship to a 'dysfunctional marriage.' 'I've never spoken to him about the mayor's race,' the Mayoral hopeful stated. REUTERS In a phone call with The Post, the three-term governor claimed that he hasn't softened his stance, despite his Democratic primary pitch as the only candidate who could stand up to Trump. 'There is no tonal shift between the primary and the general. I'm not trying to get Republican votes; those are going to Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa,' Cuomo said. 'We never got into it during the primary,' he claimed. But Cuomo's campaign, during the primary race, even boasted in a digital ad that 'Andrew Cuomo is the last person they want as mayor' – and pledged to fight Trump's administration head-on.
