3rd District Report
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| Bobby Weist |
Cecil Ridge Leaves Legacy
After 12 years as president of Modesto City Firefighters Local 1289 and 20 years as an Executive Board Member, President Cecil Ridge is stepping down from his leadership post after this term.
During his career, he served as lead negotiator, arbitration panel member, political campaign organizer and mentor to the next generation of members new to the local.
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| Local 1289 President Cecil Ridge is stepping down after this term. |
"We will sorely miss his dedication and passion for the safety and well being of all firefighters," said Steve Fimbrez, Vice President of Local 1289.
Local 1289 Resolves Contract
As many locals are facing threats of layoffs and pension "reform," Modesto City Firefighters Local 1289 have made the best of a bad situation.
The local has just voted to accept the terms of their latest LOU, which is planned to save the city $1.8 million in concessions.
The good news? Their contract includes a 1 percent increase in EMT pay and no layoffs. The City will be offering nine employees a severance package for voluntary retirement.
The bad news is they are browning out one engine company in downtown Modesto, year-round.
"We're not losing any firefighters and we're doing fairly well compared to some of our other brothers and sisters in the valley," said Fimbrez. The local has proactively offered financial solutions from the beginning in the face of the city's looming financial crisis.
"When things first started getting rough with the city, Local 1289 was the first organization to step up and offer concessions to help out the city. Other city labor groups fell in line behind them and the City Council was grateful for that," Fimbrez said.
Woodland Faces Battle Despite Passage of Public Safety Measures
On June 8, voters approved two measures to preserve public safety levels in Woodland.
Measure V, a quarter-cent sales tax measure, promised to keep draconian level cuts, including the elimination of an engine company, from occurring in the City of Woodland. Measure U funnels 40 percent of voter-approved sales taxes to public safety services within Woodland Police Department and Woodland Fire Department to maintain the city's current number of first responders.
But despite the passage of these two measures, the Woodland City Council voted two weeks later to eliminate an engine company, one-fourth of the fire department's daily staffing.
"The Council's action not only puts our citizens at risk, it blindsides the citizens of Woodland, and breaks faith with the voters," said Mark Feuerstein, President of Woodland Professional Firefighters. "We call on them to reverse this betrayal and restore vital public safety services."
At the time of this publication, the Woodland Professional Firefighters have been in negotiations with the City to find an alternative solution.