Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan meets with fire department union to discuss concession offers

Jo C. Goode
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Apr. 23, 2014

FALL RIVER — As massive layoffs loom for 60 firefighters in July, dropping the complement from 213 to 153, Mayor Will Flanagan met with union leaders Tuesday and made an offer they may refuse.

In the meeting with Flanagan, Jason Burns, president of firefighters Local 1314, and union vice president and District Fire Chief James Mellen said the mayor laid out a plan the would save a few jobs if the union agreed to substantial pay cuts.

Burns said there were essentially two offers; the first was that the firefighters would take a 10 percent pay cut and increase staffing from 153 to 163. Through the second proposal, they would take a 15 percent pay cut and increase staffing to 171.

Burns said his membership is not opposed to concessions to help close the $4.5 million fire department gap but said Flanagan’s offer “is still on the backs of the firefighters.”

Flanagan, according to Burns, went on the airwaves to announce his offer before the union president had an opportunity present the offer to his membership.

The mayor made a similar move in January when he announced the pending layoffs to union leaders, then was interviewed by The Herald News immediately after and before union members would learn their fate. Flanagan acknowledged he made the concession offer to the firefighters but said his first goal is to deliver a balanced budget to the City Council.

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