Clifton Journal- Still no deal between City, Fire Department

4-9-09

Still no deal between City, Fire Department
Clifton Journal
(by Adam Greenberg-staff writer - April 09, 2009)

CLIFTON – The City’s Fire Station 2 on Dumont Avenue remained closed and the 12 laid off firefighters were still without a job as of press time on Wednesday afternoon, but City and Fire officials continued discussions.

During last weekend, the Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association Local 21 Web site announced a "tentative agreement" had been made reached with the City Council and that would lead to the reopening of the firehouse and to the reinstatement of the firefighters who lost their jobs.

By Monday afternoon, the FMBA had eliminated the comment from its Web site.

Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said a discussion on Monday night could have potentially led to the agreement. He said a "tentative agreement was made that was extremely close to what the Municipal Council asked in dollars in November 2008. It was presented to the rank and file of the Fire Department, but they voted no. The Council is continuing to make a commitment and we will call an emergency meeting if anything can be arranged."

At the City Council meeting on Tuesday night most Council members addressed the issue and all said that it is a touchy, frustrating process, but all agreed that they are willing to continue.

"The door is always open," said Councilman Joseph Cupoli.

FMBA President Robert DeLuca said, "We have open communication, but our language does not agree."

DeLuca and City officials refused to comment on the details of the latest "tentative agreement."

Fire Company 2 on Dumont

Avenue closed on March 7 after 12 firefighters were laid off to trim the 2009 budget, which exceeded the state-imposed spending cap by $4 million. The station is located in the Albion section of Clifton.

Currently, five stations remain open in Clifton, with Engine 6 on Broad Street and Van Houten Avenue being closest to the Albion area.

Clifton Deputy Fire Chief George Spies has said that Engine 6 would not be capable of meeting the national standard response time of four minutes.

Spies said mutual aid relations with neighboring cities such as Passaic, Montclair and Paterson are becoming problematic too. The cities rely on each other for fire and emergency medical backup help, but Spies said he can no longer make guarantees on behalf of Clifton.

This is not the first time the City Council and FMBA failed to reach an agreement.

Previously, the Council unsuccessfully asked the department to forego their 4 percent salaries hikes for next year in order to avoid the layoffs. The Fire Department counter offered that fire personnel would work two weeks at no pay instead, but also wanted guaranteed contract extensions and job. The Council rejected the plan.

Check cliftonjournal.com for updates.

E-mail: greenberg@northjersey.com

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