The EYE has learned that while on duty at one of the city’s firehouses, the president of the St. Louis Firefighters Union (Local 73) cursed and shouted at President of the St. Louis Board of Alderman Jim Shrewsbury while on the phone discussing a proposed ordinance to establish a health committee. According to the source, the president of Local 73 became upset with Shrewsbury when the alderman informed him that he was not going to vote to break a tie to send the health committee ordinance out of committee to the full Board of Aldermen. The ordinance would establish a health committee composed of representatives from the city union and personnel department that would review health benefits plans for city employees.
Local 73 wants to represent all of the city’s firefighters. This has been opposed by black aldermen and the Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality (FIRE). FIRE has been a recognized organization representing a majority of the city’s black firefighters for more than 30 years. Local 73, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, does not want the city to include FIRE on the committee because of its stated position that FIRE is not a union. FIRE and others have argued that, given the fact that collective bargaining for public employees is not legal in the state of Missouri, Local 73 cannot claim any exclusive right to represent all firefighters.
The leadership of FIRE told the EYE that every mayoral administration from Jim Conway’s up until the current administration has been even-handed in its relationship with FIRE and Local 73. Up until now, all of the mayors and their administrations have recognized the schism that exists between black and white firefighters. The most glaring example of the Slay administration’s tilt toward Local 73 against FIRE was its rejection of a proposal from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to settle a complaint of racial discrimination in the promotion of black firefighters. The EEOC has since joined FIRE in a federal lawsuit. The irony of a Democratic mayor’s rejection of a proposal from a Republican-controlled EEOC is not lost on the EYE.
Another example of the Slay administration’s seemingly blind loyalty to Local 73 is the almost lock-step support of any complaint that the union makes against Chief Sherman George. Under Section 3.24.040, the Charter of the City of St. Louis states that “the chief of the fire department shall have the superintendence and control of all engines and engine houses, and all disputes and controversies arising in relation to any matter connected with the fire department among any of its companies, officers or members when on duty shall be summarily decided by the chief.”
Yet, in internal issues ranging from transfers to vacations, the Slay administration has sided almost unequivocally with Local 73 against the chief. The most publicized dispute between the Slay administration and George resulted in the city siding with Local 73 in a lawsuit filed by Local 73 seeking to order the chief to promote certain firefighters to captain. George had refused to promote the firefighters until a lawsuit challenging the promotion was settled. The mayor and the director of public safety disagreed. Because the city counselor had joined the lawsuit on the side of Local 73, George had to hire his own attorney to represent him. The lawsuit is now before the State Supreme Court.
Given Slay’s apparent proclivity to side with Local 73, the EYE wonders how he or his public safety director would respond to George investigating this incident and disciplining the firefighter for cursing Shrewsbury. Come to think of it, the question answers itself.