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Follow us on TwitterLynchburg firefighters group calls for fairness in pay cuts
The Lynchburg Fire Fighters Association says public safety officers should face the same pay cuts as all other city employees.
The association posted a statement to its Web site calling it unfair to consider giving special treatment to public safety, a division comprised of fire, police and emergency dispatch.
Capt. Jason Campbell, president of the firefighters association, said that group wanted to clarify its position following the intense focus recently put on their salaries.
“We felt it was important that everyone understand that we believe the 3 percent reduction should be restored for all city employees, not just one particular group,” he said, adding they’ve been getting “beat up so to speak” by those who feel the division is attempting to put itself above all other city departments.
It’s been suggested by some that public safety officers, due to the nature and significance of their jobs, should be exempt from a 3 percent citywide pay cut built into the new budget. Those opposed to such a measure say a special exemption for one division would destroy morale among other employees.
Within public safety, the police have tended to be more vocal in their concerns about the pay cut, although the firefighters association has objected to the reduction and pledged to continue advocating for a return to full pay.
Both the firefighters association and the local chapter of the Police Benevolent Association are supporting a rally that will be held Tuesday to advocate for the preservation of public safety salaries.
Campbell said the LFFA statement, posted Thursday, was not meant to create a divide between the fire and police departments.
“We are not separating from the police department on this matter,” he said. “We still want to see the pay restored; we just want to see all city employees get their pay back, not just public safety.”
The president of the Blue Ridge chapter of the Police Benevolent Association said he did not want to see departments pitted against each other in the pay cut debate. Officer Doug Childress said the police were in strong support of restoring full pay for all employees but added he was not empowered to speak on behalf of the entire city work force.
“As president of the PBA, I can only speak about the needs of our members,” he said. “I’m not justified in speaking to the issues in other departments. I can’t speak for the firefighters or public works.”
Childress said he would like to see more employees, and citizens, as well, join the debate — regardless of which side they took.
“Everyone has an obligation to stand up and speak their mind,” he said. “Otherwise, how can you change anything?”
The statement issued by the firefighters association suggests that City Council should consider using its reserve fund to restore employee pay: “They are very proud of their ability to maintain the (reserve) fund balances, but it does come at the expense of City employees.”
Childress agreed, noting the reserves were there for emergencies.
“I would consider this an emergency,” he said, adding he hoped council would reexamine all its expenditures with a critical eye and search for a fresh approach to the way the city does business.
“I think we need to find new ways of doing things,” he said. “… I say don’t leave anything out.”
Council is scheduled to vote on the budget for the last time during a 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
Several people, including Campbell and Childress, have signed up to make formal addresses to council members before that vote takes place. A public rally will also be held at the foot of Monument Terrace from noon to 5 p.m.
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Reader Reactions
There is a holding cell in your pathetic future
I believe this is the third or fourth threat I’ve gotten a threat like this.
Invites downtown, not going to answer calls from me or my family…now we have those calling for their own to drag their feet on calls, ect; just do anything to disrupt the process so they can really show us (the citizens)how they can punish us if we don’t agree with them.
So this is Lynchburg’s finest? This is what PD will let stand as their representaion? No rebukes?
Tell me, Lynchburg’s finest, since when did this get to be acceptable conduct?
Not that he had too because we all have freedom of speech, but didn’t Doug Childress, the head of the Police Association, say he welcomed input no matter which side it was?
I guess some of your people didn’t get that memo Doug. But one would have thought since they’re smart enough to pass all the tests firelaw seems to think noone else can pass, they would be aware of that pesky little thing called the constitution.
So why am I being put in the position that I have to take special measures to protect myself from the police? Is this the version of free speech as presented by Lynchburg PD?
I’m tired of these threats as if all I’m going to do is lay down and let it happen. There are all kinds legal measures I can take if you guys want to keep making threats.
Again I ask, why is PD (or FD) letting these kinds of people be their public voice?
Well firelaw, since you’ve reduced yourself to utterances of sheer stupdity, it can only mean you can’t meet the challenge.
Listen clown, I’ve listed several different ways for you to prove your stance. You just confirmed you can’t, unless you think that bit of idiocy proves something.
Well in fact it does. It proves you’re just a whiney cry baby still grasping at straws.
I’ve made my point. You can put up and substantiate what you said, or, if you don’t have sense enough to shut up, you can continue to embarrass yourself and the dept.
Poet, your inbred mind cannot deal with the idiocy of your meaningless responses. If you could past the psychological screening test, physical agility test and the classroom instruction, then why don’t you do the work. You can sit there in your panties and type away all you want but it does not change the history of why the pay raises were given. There is a holding cell in your pathetic future.
firelaw…Are you ever going to realize that the public is not that stupid? Nothing, repeat, NOTHING you said changes the material truth that PD and FD got special treatment in pay that no other dept recieved in 04 and 05. You can distort, contort, falsely retort, to your hearts content…it doesn’t change the truth.
I was there during that process, the article points it out, and your delusions are serving you very badly.
the first order of city business is to provide for public safety as well as education
What world do you live in where you can stretch that into meaning the first order of city business is to exclude fairness to the rest of the city depts?
Tell you what Einstien, pull the city charter, talk to city council, talk to any city supervisor in and capicity any dept, review all the city bylaws, get the HRO officer in both FD and PD..just do what you have to and back that up.
You know what would be even better. Get just one person in authority to come here and make a statement to that effect. Not someone hiding behind an anonymous screen, rather someone who’s willing to publicaly stand by what he/she says.
The pity party is over, council did the only fair thing. Get over it, you are doing nothing but alienating yourelves.
Tell me where I can leave you a few bucks, firelaw. I fear you need them for two reasons.
1)You’re going to run out of money to buy all those crying towels you’ve been using
2) you’re going to need to start a defense fund for all the law suits the city is going to incur if PD follows the ill-gotten advice to let their personal feelings interfeer with response times, ect.
I repeat, to those dedicated grown ups who are willing to do their jobs like everybody else in the city, thank you.
To the little crybabies, goodbye, good riddance.
Poet, you are the one who does not make any sense. First, the pay adjustment was to keep police and fire competitive with other jurisdictions so that good qualified Lynchburg first responders would not leave, screwing the city out of thousands of dollars spent for training. Second, the first order of city business is to provide for public safety as well as education. Since none of you who were so quick to tell them to get lost were willing to contribute more to keep basic services going, you will only pay more in the future when the ranks of the police and fire departments are so low that such basic services are lost for years to come. So I agree, they should quit and find higher paying jurisdictions to work for.
firelaw you are full of nonsense, to clean it up.
Ony the laws of lala land dictate that everyone taking an equal hit in these times is a political issue.
It would be political, in the real world, only if one is granted more status than the other, which is what you and and lablover are advocating. You’re entire arguement doesn’t pass the laugh test.
Further testament to the ridiculousness of your arguement is back in 04 and 05, fire and police were granted pay raises no other dept got. The arguement against it, by those that had the foresight to see it, was it would be setting and very bad precedent to fall for the strongarm tatics PD and FD were using, which was in fact political.
Now we can see how dangerous that precedent was. PD is back crying and trying to make this political. Not a shred of hesitation to throw every other dept under the bus as long as they get theirs.
You will note I didn’t include FD in that last sentence. FD is acting like grownups in this situation, a very refreshing attitude compared to the conduct of PD.
The real question is what kind of services do you want for the money you are willing to part with. Cut pay and benefits now and it will cost more in the long run. The reason the firefighters generally support the democrats is that they are the only ones who understand the big picture. No convinced? Look at the General Assembly website. Every major piece of first responder legislation, including one which addresses the swine flu outbreak was defeated by House Republicans. Even Senate Republicans voted with the firefighters. But local Central Virginia Republicans and one misfit, Lacey Putney, voted to deny firefighters and police basic professional protections. So, go ahead and cut there salary and tell them to go to hell. Seems the next time you dial 911, but hope its a response that’s as considerate as the ones the city is about to heap on them.
I don’t see any irony at all lablover. What I do see is a person out in lala land spouting the same iditotic nonsense he hears all day from the goober gods. Guess what? nobody is listening to that foolishness anymore.
I agree with bigjim. This letter from LFD is exactly what he says. A difference in leadership and an attitude of committment to the community as a whole, not just to themselves. I’m pleased LFD came out and pubillcaly made a statement. No one dept is any more worthy than the next…period.
Am I the only one who sees the irnony here? The fire and police unions have worked overtime for years trying to elect the Barack Obamas, Tim Kaines and any other Democrat to office. It’s those Democrat spending plans which have put our gov’t budgets into the mess they are in. Now the most vocal supporter that the firemen and police have is a conservative Republican (Jeff Hegelson). It’s the Republicans who always stand first for national security and public safety but the police and firemen never work to elect any Republicans to office. The Democrats couldn’t find any money in all of their budget-busting spending to help these workers, yet during the next election cycle the unions will be out there lapping up all of the empty promises of the Democrats while campaigning against the Republicans and even Jeff Hegelson, the ones who have helped them the most.
A liberal union group calling for the citizens of Lynchburg to give up more of their hard-earned money to it’s members. Who would have thought?
All of this whining, crying, and childish threats by the police and fire members should stiffen the resolve of the Council members who want to be fiscally responsible and should demonstrate to others who think that they are doing something good by standing with these groups that the overwhelming motive of these City employees is money. When times are tough we all have to conserve and tighten our belts. Asking these groups to give up three percent of thier income to preserve jobs is hardly asking for much. If they can’t make that sacrifice, it’s time to start eliminating positions within their depts.
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