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Firefighters To Boycott Clearwater Over Wages, Other Woes

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON and ROD CHALLENGER

The Tampa Tribune News Channel 8

Published: June 23, 2008

CLEARWATER - In an action it has taken only twice before in the past 10 years, the Florida Professional Firefighters association is asking its 25,000 members not to have anything to do with a municipality whose firefighters, it says, are being treated poorly.

This time, the city is Clearwater.

This month at a convention in Tampa, 500 delegates from fire departments across the state voted unanimously to boycott the popular tourist destination, said Bob Carver, president of Florida Professional Firefighters.

In August, Carver added, at the International Association of Firefighters convention in Las Vegas, 3,000 representatives of fire departments across North America employing 300,000 firefighters also will be asked to boycott Clearwater, Carver said.

"Don't vacation, visit or be in Clearwater," Carver said. "It's only when a city has a callous disregard for the safety and health of its firefighters that we take this action."

The union representing Clearwater's firefighters has had a contentious relationship with Fire Chief Jamie Geer and City Manager Bill Horne.

For example, Clearwater Firefighters' Association Local 1158 didn't think two paramedics should have been fired in 2005 for opting not to respond to a call made by a mentally unstable woman known to make bogus 911 calls, when a police officer was helping her commit herself.

Now, the union says, the city is offering a zero percent wage increase for the firefighters' next contract and, as a result, the city and firefighters are at an impasse. In addition, the city is not allowing firefighters to hold the annual "Fill the Boot" drive to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"Zero percent," said David Hogan, secretary and treasurer of the local. "That was the straw that broke the camel's back."

But that doesn't mean firefighters won't see an increase in their paychecks, said Doug Matthews, city spokesman.

Firefighters, for instance, will continue to get so-called step increases - a 5 percent step increase for each of the first five years of employment, followed by a 21/2 percent increase every other year up to 17 years.

Seventy-nine firefighters are slated to receive the 5 percent increase. Forty will get a 21/2 percent step increase, and 68 will receive no step increase this year, Matthews said. Typically, firefighters received a general wage increase on top of the step increase, he said.

The union also wants extra pay if firefighters are asked to do other people's jobs, even if the jobs pay less than what the firefighters earn regularly. They want overtime for meetings and training, even if they haven't worked their allotted hours by the time the meeting or training comes around, Matthews said. And they want two-hour lunch breaks.

As for the muscular dystrophy benefit, no solicitors are allowed to ask for money along city streets in accordance with a city ordinance designed to maintain public safety, Matthews said.

"There's no coincidence that this comes as we are right in the middle of impasse," Matthews said of the Florida Professional Firefighters' action. "This is a typical union tactic to personally attack the people that are in charge to try and get their way."

Five years ago, the firefighters association boycotted Jacksonville; 10 to 12 years ago, the organization voted to boycott Hollywood, Fla., Carver said.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com. Reporter Rod Challenger can be reached at (727) 536-8283 or rchallenger@wfla.com.

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