Today's attack on the media by firefighters marching on the State House is completely ridiculous. I've heard Ed Kelly -- president of union local 718, which represents Boston firefighters -- on the radio and read some things he's written, and every bit of it has been a distortion of reality. He's not willing to give any ground or to admit to any problem, and as a result the city's firefighters have been without a contract for almost two years.In a post 9/11 world, you would be hard pressed to find a single American who doesn't admire and respect firefighters for the difficult and dangerous job they do. However, to claim -- as Kelly did today -- that the Boston media has been publishing "bogus stories" planted by city officials or launching "vicious attacks" against them is outrageous.
The fact that two firefighters killed in the line of duty last year may have been impaired by alcohol and cocaine is news and demands that action be taken. This is not something that can be swept under the rug. Also, stories of other firefighters arrested recently for drugs should not be suppressed. And investigations that show that some fire department personnel abuse the workmen's comp system also need to be addressed.
Boston jakes deserve a fair contract, and no one is begrudging them that, but as city employees they are also open to the scrutiny of the public, which demands drug testing and more accountability for those who file injury claims.
2 comments:
What recent drug arrest are you talking about? The one where the fire inspector, while in a FD car was caught smoking pot. Or the one where the guy out on "disability" fought police officers after they witnessed him buying drugs in Southie...all the time screaming "they planted it on me".
I do not for 1 second think that all fire fighters are drug addicts or alcoholics. But it only takes 1 impaired crew member to put the rest of the team at risk, not to mention the people of the city they might be called upon to save.
That is the point. Random drug testing is a deterrent. The police have to do it, so do the people working on most assembly lines. Get over yourself Ed Kelley, you've lost and you just keep looking more and more pathetic.
I believe the "bogus stories" he is talking about are the ones that say the BFD union is against random drug testing and this is the reason they don't have a contract. Our wonderful mayor has not made this a priority until the story of the 2 fallen firefighters and now he and the rest of the media is saying its the reason their contract has been held up. The union has been fighting for more training and better equipment to make our city and our firefighters safer. Though I may not completely agree with the unions tactics they are not wrong in wanting this to go through collective bargaining. Everyone says "well the cops have it". The cops also got the Quinn Bill as a result and many make tens of thousands more a year for their "college degrees". So why should the union not try to get more training and better equipment for the firefighters in return for drug testing? It is well known that the mayor hates the fire department and will do anything to hurt them. Fortunately for him a few bad seeds are making it that much easier.
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