The relationship between Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini and the local firefighters union is likely to remain at the sworn enemies level indefinitely. But it is good to see common sense and civility prevail between both sides when it comes to things that ought to rise above contract disputes.
It looked like things could be headed for another ugly confrontation earlier last week over the impending New England Firefighters Combat Challenge, scheduled for this weekend.
The competition, which runs over two days on the campus of the Merrimack Valley Hospital, is being hosted by the local union, and is expected to draw about 300 firefighters from across the country to compete in challenges that simulate firefighting situations. The union says it will bring about $40,000 in economic activity to the city.
But it had also created an escalating conflict between the mayor and the union. Fire Capt. Paul Weinburgh had been using "union time" to do some of his preparation for the games, to the point where the mayor asserted that it had become an abuse of that benefit. But, the union notes that there is no definition of union time in the contract, nor is there any limit on how much of that time they can take.
That, along with other conflicts, prompted Fiorentini to threaten to withdraw his support from the event unless the union promised it would not use any of the money raised to fund legal actions against the city.
While Fiorentini could not have stopped it, he could have withheld permits for the firefighters to sell food and T-shirts, and could have forbidden any Haverhill firefighter equipment to be used.
But, the union, to its credit, agreed that it would not use any of the money raised to fund their battles against the mayor. And the mayor, to his credit, has agreed to sign all the necessary permits, and said he would make a small personal contribution to the games.
It is unfortunate that Weinburgh could not resist a dig at both the mayor and fire Chief Richard Borden, whom he accused of using the event as "a catalyst for their political beliefs." As Weinburgh well knows, the whole event is political — the union has been using it as a public relations tool.
But overall, this is the way adults should behave. There will always be conflicts between union and management, but they both deserve credit for their willingness not to let those disputes infect every other element of their relationship.
