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As Contract Negotiations Grind On, Manchester Firefighters Plan More Pickets

Courtesy of IAFF Local 856

Manchester firefighters will again take to the picket lines next Tuesday, a second show of force in as many weeks.

More than 100 members staged what they called an “informational picket” earlier this week in Manchester, according to Manchester Professional Firefighters Association president Jeff Duval. He says they are planning a second picket next Tuesday before a city Board of Aldermen meeting, as contract negotiations between the unions and city continue.

“The morale is starting to go down, as this process drags on,” says Duval. “They are very frustrated, but they are very engaged as well.”

The public action comes as the unions–the Manchester Professional Firefighters Association, as well as the Manchester Association of Fire Supervisors–and the City continue to work with a mediator to hammer out a new multi-year contract.

Firefighters are asking for a cost-of-living adjustment similar to what the city gave police officers in their contract last year, as well as an increase in hazard pay.

Former Mayor Ted Gatsas vetoed an agreement reached last summer, citing cost concerns and possible layoffs that could result from the city’s tax cap.

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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