City Manager, Finance Officers Talk Firefighters Dispute

In this video, City Manager Tommy Gonzalez, Dr. Mark Sutter Chief Financial Officer and Robert Cortinas the Director of Management & Budget talk to the MoSho in our studio about the current dispute between the El Paso Firefighters Union and the city over their contract.

Here's the elevator pitch version of what's going on: the firefighters want a larger cost-of-living raise than the city is willing to offer and they don't want their insurance plan to go up as much as the city wants it to. Also, the firefighters union doesn't want failure of a random drug test to result in termination on the first time. The two side could not come to an agreement, it went to third party arbitration, the arbitrator found in favor of the city, the union would not accept the arbitrator's decision, so the whole thing is now going to a public vote which is going on right now.

If you side with the firefighters union on all points, your property tax (on an average, $124,000 El Paso home) would increase by $57.63 since over the next three years. Siding with the city on all points would increase the same property tax by $4.81.

The firefighters are quick to point out that the city has already spent $250,000 in attorney's fees in the past year fighting the union's demands. Of course, the union's attorneys don't work for free either.

While on the topic of the firefighters, they're currently doing their Fill the Boot donation drive for the Muscular Dystrophy Association so that's why there are firemen on every major street corner in town.

The MDA is a great cause and I encourage you to donate. But, I have one suggestion for the firefighters. Instead of giving out "I Donated" lapel stickers to people who donate, how about giving little window decals that we can put on our driver-side window. I donated on one street corner and felt really great about myself! Then, at the very next stoplight, I found myself in the uncomfortable position of having to avoid making eye contact with the firefighter. He didn't know I just donated twenty bucks, so I'm right back to feeling like I'm being judged for not donating! If I could just have something to put on my windshield, I won't feel uncomfortable every time I see a guy in suspenders holding a rubber boot, and the firefighters can know not to silently judge me. Does that sound fair?