LAWRENCE — A statement earlier this week by the president of the firefighters union that his members would be willing to give up a 3.5 percent pay raise to help rehire 23 laid-off firefighters was met with surprise and skepticism by the administration of Mayor William Lantigua.
Leonard Degnan, the mayor's chief of staff, said yesterday that the comment by union chief Pat Driscoll to another Boston-area newspaper was the first time the city's negotiators had heard the offer.
"We had our lawyer call their lawyer, and he said he had never heard of it," Degnan said. "We'd love to take them up on the offer. We'd love to sit down and negotiate with them."
Degnan said he even called for a negotiating session Thursday and yesterday, but was told that negotiations couldn't take place because Driscoll was on vacation.
The union president, reached yesterday on his cell phone, said that he was on vacation but that the union has been trying to negotiate with the city for months.
"We are willing to come back to the table," he said. "If he'd agree to bring back all 23 firefighters who were laid off, we'd consider giving up the 3.5 percent raise."
Overseer Robert Nunes, appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to monitor the city's finances as it borrows up to $35 million, echoed Degnan's criticisms of the union, saying that the union has offered no concessions. Nunes said the union has only met with city officials twice in recent months and has canceled numerous meetings. Driscoll said the union canceled two planned meetings and attended two others.
"The issues between the firefighters can be resolved at the negotiating table," Nunes said. "The firefighters need to come the table to negotiate provisions within the collective bargaining agreement."
The next meeting, Nunes said, between the union and city officials is scheduled for Aug. 24.
Lantigua said he needs documentation before he would believe the union's offer to turn down the raise. He said the mayor's office has been trying to negotiate with the union from Day One, pointing out the union has to accept concessions.
"Our door has been open," Lantigua said. "We have tried time after time publicly in the paper, on TV, on the radio, all over the place. We have met with the fire chief I don't know how many times.
"So we've been willing to do all that we can to bring some of these firefighters back," Lantigua said. "I don't see anything that could happen that will make the relationship with the chief any better or any worse."
The 3.5 percent raise was granted during negotiations last year and was set to take effect Jan. 1, but the city hasn't funded the raise because it ran out of money.
Degnan said while he was heartened by the union's offer, he was skeptical.
"You have to read between the lines," Degnan said. "He's saying it would be temporary. They have no interest in giving up anything permanent."
He added that givebacks by the union need to be permanent, and that Lawrence firefighters make a much higher rate of pay than neighboring fire departments, when base pay is added to all of the other union perks, such as longevity pay and clothing allowances, among others.
"We could bring 23 firefighters back in minutes if we could restructure the contracts," Degnan said.
Driscoll said the city is looking for givebacks that would amount to a $20,000 pay cut, and that the city was trying to remove benefits from their contract that had been in place for years.
"They want us to give up permanent things that have been in our contract for 30 or 40 years," Driscoll said. "We aren't willing to do that."
