(BUFFALO) - In a public display of disgust with the City of Buffalo's non-movement to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a new contract, members of Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282 will picket Mayor Byron Brown's annual State of the City address on Friday, February 19th, WNYLaborToday.com reports.  The firefighters Union - whose membership has not had a pay raise since July 2003 and whose Union has been without a contract since 2005 - is also asking for support from Organized Labor across Buffalo following the Brown Administration ignoring the Union's consistent and formal requests to return to the bargaining table, Buffalo Firefighters Local 282 President Dan Cunningham said.

Cunningham made the announcement to a packed crowd of Labor Leaders and Labor Delegates who attended the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council's monthly meeting last night, where Buffalo AFL-CIO President Michael Hoffert also detailed his own problems with Mayor Brown ignoring three Council requests over a three-month time period to meet in regards to Organized Labor's inquiries of how Federal Stimulus Dollars are being used to create jobs in Buffalo. 

"There are no words to describe how this reflects on the mayor.  I'm done.  I gave (Mayor Brown) three softball pitches and he struck out.  Apparently, (Mayor Brown) doesn't think it's important to address Organized Labor," a frustrated and angry Hoffert told those in attendance, noting he felt the rebuke was a slap in the face to the 80,000 individual Union Members represented by the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council.  Hoffert, who said he originally planned to attend the State of the City Address in order to learn what the mayor might say in regards to the role Organized Labor will play in the city's battle to economically turn itself around, announced last night he would honor the Union picket line and not attend the mayor's address.

Meanwhile, Cunningham said a number of formal requests that have been made by Local 282 to the mayor's office via certified mail have also gone unanswered in recent months. 

"Someone keeps signing for them because we have a pile of receipts, but we've gotten no response.  He keeps ignoring Labor.  We have no choice (but to picket the mayor's city address, which will be held at the Downtown Convention Center).  We've tried to be professional, but what we have here is a Labor-endorsed and -backed Democratic mayor that's not listening to us.  We want to take this opportunity to inform the Union Community about what's gone on and how (Mayor Brown) has continually ignored Labor," Cunningham said.

"We've done everything we can to get a meeting with him," Cunningham added.  "We, as a Union, have been without a contract since 2005.  Since that time, the city tried to impose an illegal (back-pay arbitration award which would have reduced benefits in the Union's collective bargaining agreement with the city for a firefighter off the job for more than 90 days) on us, which was thrown out by the State Court of Appeals in October.  Their answer today is, 'We're still evaluating the (court's) decision.'"

The president of Buffalo Firefighters Local 282, meanwhile, said the Fire Department's current fiscal situation of incurring increased overtime costs can be directly tied to failing to make new hires to replace those firefighters who have either retired or are out injured.  In so many words, Cunningham said the situation has been caused by "city mismanagement."

"We had two members who gave their lives fighting a fire last year.  How important are (Buffalo firefighters) to the city?," Cunningham said to those attending the Buffalo CLC meeting.  He was referring to Buffalo Firefighters Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy and Jonathan Croom of Ladder 7, who both lost their lives battling an East Side fire last year.

Back in early September, Local 282 attempted to get stalled contract negotiations moving again with the city, announcing the Union was willing to further "review and modify" its position so a negotiated deal would meet the approval of Buffalo's Fiscal Stability/Control Board.

At that time, Cunningham told WNYLaborToday.com: "We're prepared to review and modify what our Union has been asking for so what will be negotiated meets the approval of the Buffalo Control Board and that this situation can finally be brought to an end.  Our members have had no pay raise since July first, two-thousand-and-three.  Our guys are calling us up, asking when talks on a new contract are going to start back up with the city.  It's been nine months since we last had a bargaining session and we believe the time is right for moving forward on this."

Cunningham had also told WNYLaborToday.com that Local 282 was willing to look to "alleviate liabilities" associated with the $13 million back-pay dispute the Union had with the city.  In addition, Local 282 said it would also consider having new members contribute a "yet undetermined amount" towards their pensions "in light of the economic situation New York State currently faces," he added.

"There's no fluff here," Cunningham told WNYLaborToday.com.  "We think what we're ready to discuss is fair and will save the city money.  We are looking to move ahead."

On another front, Cunningham said the city still has not provided the Union and its membership with a choice of four health care providers to choose from, which it is entitled to.  "We have one provider now and we should have four, but they haven't complied with that either,' he said.

Union Leaders and Delegates at last night's Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council meeting were also warned the city more than likely will release to the Buffalo media salary and benefits figures for Buffalo firefighters that contain their overtime pay.  Union Leaders said the city will do this to create the illusion of "high salaries" in an attempt to tilt the public's overall perspective.

"Remember, it's only because of overtime," Buffalo AFL-CIO President Hoffert said.  "With so many firefighters out injured and sick, someone has to work overtime.  Buffalo has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the United States and there are jobs to filled (within the Fire Department), but the city isn't hiring.  We need these folks (firefighters) and their jobs should not be minimized.  To put (the blame) on (firefighters') backs is just plain wrong.  They guys don't go to work to die.  You could never pay me enough to do their job."

Local 282's membership is also concerned about the potential of the Brown Administration "retaliating" against the Union for picketing the mayor's State of the City Address by failing to make anticipated promotions within the Fire Department that involve Union-represented firefighters.  "This is also causing racial tension within the department," Cunningham said.