Fire Commish: We Will Not Put Up With Union Thuggery

Trustee Dennis Donnelly, appointed fire commissioner, read the following statement at the May 2 village board of trustees meeting:

Since the village laid off six firefighters last month, a series of events have occurred which are unacceptable and repugnant to the village. The Professional Firefighters Association (PFFA) initiated a lawsuit in Nassau Supreme Court. The suit petitioned the court to issue a temporary restraining order to reinstate the laid off firefighters. That temporary restraining order was denied by Judge Diamond. The union, among other charges, cited safety issues and the uncertainty of the volunteer response as mitigating factors that could put the public at risk.

The volunteer force in the village has been inundated with harassment on their personal jobs by union representatives in solidarity with the Garden City Fire Union. This harassment has been conveyed by the NYC PBA, the NYC Fire Union, the fire dispatchers union, the teachers union, etc. The subject of this harassment centers on volunteerism. They say that union members should not under any circumstances volunteer as a fireman in Garden City where union jobs are at stake.

The village has lost a number of volunteer firefighters who have been told that they will be denied benefits and be considered outcasts by their own unions if they do not resign as a Garden City fireman. In addition, any resident of Garden City who is currently a NYC firefighter (active or retired) is prohibited from volunteering in Garden City. There are approximately 100 people who are prohibited by this ban. Many of these active and retired NYC firefighters serve as volunteers in Hempstead, Mineola, West Hempstead, etc.

The safety of the public is our primary concern. We will do whatever is necessary to insure the rapid response time that our residents have come to expect. We find it ironic and sad that the PFFA would work to discourage and harass volunteers in our village while simultaneously using public safety as a fear tactic.

We will not put up with union thuggery and harassment. The village will support our volunteer firefighters who offer our residents the comfort in knowing that they will respond to an emergency.

In the coming months the BOT will be reviewing the model for a combination fire department to see if a dual force is still a viable option for our village.

With all this in mind, I think the BOT should reengage International City Management (ICM) to review what training and operational options should be considered by the village in the future.

Reaction? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.