Firefighters picket US Mayors Conference
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Firefighter Protest
Providence firefighters protesting outside the convention center as the U.S. Conference of Mayors opens downtown.
Conrad Ostrowski/NBC 10 NEWS
Firefighters form a picket line outside the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence on June 12, 2009.
Published: June 12, 2009
Updated: June 12, 2009
PROVIDENCE - About 100 Providence firefighters picketed Friday outside the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 77th annual meeting.
Members of the firefighters union, locked in a contract dispute with Providence Mayor David Cicilline, held signs that said “Cicilline (equals) DemoRat” and wore T-shirts that said “Fire Cicilline.“
Related Link: U.S. Conference of Mayors
Vice President Joseph Biden and members of the Obama administration were supposed to attend the conference, which opened Friday. But the White House canceled last week after the firefighters said they would picket.
Union President Paul Doughty said Cicilline has trampled on their First Amendment rights by requiring protesters to register and stand across the street.
Cicilline said the tactics of the firefighters have dampened Providence’s chances of shining on a national stage and called the protest “political extortion.“
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