Firefighters suspended for going home sick
Published: October 22, 2009
NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Two North Providence firefighters face suspensions for allegedly taking sick days to protest their work assignments.
Mayor Charles Lombardi said the two firefighters were already at work at their station, but went home sick after being ordered to work at other locations in the city that day because their ladder truck was under repair.
Lombardi referred to the Sept. 29 incident as a “mini-walkout, mini-sickout.“ He said the fire department was forced to call in two other firefighters on overtime because of minimum staffing requirements.
The mayor did not identify the firefighters, who had a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday. The length of the suspensions have not been determined.
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I should have known you would catch that Mr. Smitty. Your somebody we could trust to lock the gate when the enemy is coming.
Yes I have red a great deal about how union protection and there policies actually promotes non- productivity. I didn’t want to throw a blanketed statement out and perhaps insult another taxpayer “Our States finest” and a very brave and tireless worker.
That little joke at the top of my post is truly not such a joke. The enemy is at the gates….
I’ve read where a police officer can work for twenty years and retire with 90% of his salary. If this is true…. to live for the next 45 years at 90% of his salary along with rising health care benefits is a recipe for disaster.
A private sector union can force a company out of business. A good company of course will grow. But the private sector can’t go out of business so only there costs will grow.
One more thing I’d like to point out. I’ve read that entitlement spending for the public sector has increased (along with your taxes) for the last six years. But, this was all an illusion. My Dad said his 401K lost 30% of it’s value. So shouldn’t their entitlements of retired workers be decreased?
Our State seems to have little incentive to fight the unions because there using our money to pay them.
Hey Alkeryia….Ha!! Boy I’d love to have some of my demands met at school…but my Dad would kill me if I went on strike!!
Alkeria—just when it looks like you finally realize the way tings should be going, you go off on a tangent and show how ****** you are. Students unionize? TO DO WHAT? To get away with more than they get away with now? Absurd.
Hey ristinks, you are so right about teacher unions. Have you ever thought that maybe the students should unionize? There are LOTS of legitimate demands they have that aren’t met!
anothertaxpayer, from a family of many, many firefighters: don’t worry, most of us know that the morons don’t represent your profession in general. Keep up the good work.
What is the difference between sitting in a sdtation at one location—or at another location? These two ought to be disiplined—and heavily.
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Anothertaxpayer—please don’t take it personally—there are quite a few of us that recognize that these two do NOT represent the majority of firefighters. Thank you for your willingness to do a difficult and dangerous job.
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Chesapeake—I will differ with you concerning unions and the quality of work. There are quite a few union members who will do the bare minimum to avoid getting any sort of notice—and gleefully say they’re protected by the union from being let go. That means the quality of work suffers.
The rest of your statement is thoughtful and well put—for a young person. Kudos to you!
Another Taxpayer…
Unions have nothing to do with the quality of work put into a profession.
Thank you by the way for doing a job most people would run away from.
Kennethnk…Chamber of Commerce… a union? That is a joke I hope…
I think what most people are saying is that our House of Representitives funding for their re-elections comes from unions. Our State is not an economic engine yet it is our biggest employer.
Know this…your not fooling me Kennethnk..What in the world is your thought process that you think private sector unions have anything in common with the public sector unions and how this pertains to this….YOU PAY THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS.
YOUR statement….
You will never see public sector go nonunion because businesses big and small can back there leaders with there form of Union orginizations .
Have you been drinking??
Public employee unions contribute heavily to political campaigns. They affect legislation and crucially influence who is elected. They then sit down and bargain over wages and benefits with the same units of government they have so busily bought and paid for.
Taxpayers no doubt feel that (a) they are paying through the nose and (b) they can’t easily do anything about it. Both are true. They will not get out from under by anything less than radical downsizing and privatizing of services that they now thoughtlessly assign to local government. The swamp needs to be drained and cleared.
State and local property, income, sales and excise taxes are overflooding their banks. The partnership between public sector employees and their state and local employers is one of the many factors responsible.
History is teaching us a difficult lesson, that government is the enemy of society, that it directly and of necessity undermines peace, prosperity and justice. We live better without government rules in our lives. This is possible. For a time, Americans lived with a higher degree of peace, prosperity and justice under far fewer government rules than today prevail. America was the beacon of the world. If we hold out the objective of no government rules as an ideal, one that in our current situation seems difficult or even impossible to attain, it will at least provide us with a proper direction.
As a professional firefighter in RI I’d like to thank the morons from North Providence for once again making RI union firefighters look bad. As a decent person who works all of his shifts and does the right thing, I’m sick and tired of a select few destroying the reputation of the profession. Just a few years ago firefighting was a profession that received a lot of respect from the public. Thanks to some politicians with political agendas, we’ve come under the microscope lately but some have chosen to respond by being lazy, stupid, greedy jerks. I ask that the public please look at these people as individuals and not generalize us all as crooks. I also think we need to look at the hiring practices. It’s time to start hiring people based on merit and not who they know. Like I said, the GREAT majority of us are good people but any time you have a large amount of people, you’re gonna have a few nitwits and this is certainly the case here. I also ask that all you “firefighters” from NP stop defendending these idiots. They have no leg to stand on, they didn’t like their re-assignments so they acted like babies and went home. I’m sick of defending greedy jerks that make the rest of the job look bad. There are cities in this state that do a good volume of fires but that’s completely underminded when the select few do stupid, self centered things. I’m a union firefighter and I know that’s not the most popular thing right now but I know without my union, I’d be working for low wages and poor benefits. I make a fair wage and have (admittedly) good benefits which I feel are part of my compensation for the risks we take. I understand that things in RI are brutal right now but if this states biggest problems are it’s firefighters than maybe we’re in a lot better shape than we thought? Ok, I’ve said my peace and I hope people will consider what I’ve said. To all my fellow firefighters, smarten up! We’re under the microscope enough right now. Go to work, do your job to the best of your ability and God willing, go home after every shift!
kennethknk and stinky should get a room.
Hey Stinks
I never said strenth in numbers win you added that for your own platform.
I just answered why there are unions and my answer also goes for teachers too, they fight the same fight private sector unions fight and that is why public and private sector unions stick together most of the time.
You do raise a point of the business owners there union is the Chamber of Commerce they pay a monthly fee just like a labor union and because of there numbers get better rates in supplies or insurance or what ever.
They also back Political leaders how do you think the Republicans exists they orginize through business look at the great Business man Governor they got in office now wich brings me to my next point.
You will never see public sector go nonunion because businesses big and small can back there leaders with there form of Union orginizations .
Stinks
You also mentioned the Moderate party guess who is funding there party also don’t let anybody fool you.
I think the rest of your comments are REPUBLICAN SCUM JEBERISH.
God Bless Unions
God Bless America
kenethknk: Your’e absolutely right…strength in numbers win.
So here are the numbers if you haven’t been watching:
1) The NEW MODERATE PARTY is growing…FAST!! They are signing up new candidates to run against the SCUM in the GENERAL ASSEMBLY…BYE_BYE SEN CICCIONE—your a union hack-job.
2) If you haven’t noticed basically all RI talk radio beats up the GENERAL ASSEMBLY and the public employee unions—-rightfully so I might add. SPEAKER MURPHY can’t take it anymore and calls it quits—-WIMP!!
3) Small-business owners have had enough of this and will back anyone not in office. In fact, all small business owners should fire any liberals who work for them!!
4) Public Employee Unions are dead…they just don’t know it yet. The voters will rebel in 2010. More layoffs are coming!!
GOD BLESS MAYOR LOMBARDI….we need more Mayors like him instead of wimps like Avedesian in Warwick. The teachers’ unions errand boy. WIMP!!
DAY 3 and I am still waiting for an answer….maybe some teacher’s would like to respond to my question:
WHY DO TEACHERS NEED TO FORM A UNION?—the students are NOT unionized!!
Deliberate slip of the finger, darn salami grease.
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