Chicago firefighters' union casts "no confidence" vote against CFD leadership
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The union representing Chicago's rank-and-file firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics unanimously voted Thursday that they no longer have confidence in leadership at the Chicago Fire Department, after going nearly 3 ½ years without a new contract.
Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 President Patrick Cleary confirmed the unanimous no-confidence vote on Thursday afternoon.
Chicago's firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics have been working without a contract or pay raise since their previous contract expired at the end of June 2021.
In a letter posted on the union's Facebook page, Cleary noted that, even as firefighters were putting out a fire at the County Building and City Hall on Wednesday, the city's contract negotiators "appeared unprepared to discuss anything relevant to the contract issues that Local 2 leadership provided months to years in advance."
"The Paramedics and Firefighters of Chicago are tired of being ignored and mistreated as they continue to loyally serve the citizens of Chicago," Cleary wrote. "Within the last 2 years, Local 2 has had 4 separate Firefighter deaths and at least 3 Firefighters severely injured while working without a contract in need of drastic fire safety changes and training."
The union also said the department is understaffed, with as many as 35 fire trucks and fire engines operating with a crew of four firefighters, instead of the normal five. The union also has been demanding that the city add 20 more ambulances and the necessary paramedics and EMTs to staff them, claiming the current ambulance fleet is inadequate.
"In addition, our Members ride inside 20+ year old vehicles that are in deplorable shape and have had days when there were no operational apparatuses available in the firehouse," Cleary wrote.
During the Democratic National Convention in August, firefighters protested outside the United Center where delegates gathered, to call on the city to settle a new contract with the union.
Union leaders said working conditions at CFD have gotten so bad that burnout is at an all-time high, especially for paramedics because there are not enough of them to handle all the 911 calls for emergency medical services.
They said hiring more paramedics needs to be the priority and they want a promise from the city written in a new union contract. They're also demanding pay raises because salaries have been frozen since 2021, making it even harder to find new recruits to join the department.
In 2023, they said paramedics worked nearly 230,000 hours of overtime just to be able to staff the city's 80 ambulances, and they are on the same pace for 2024.
In March 2019, CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman documented how, even after adding five new ambulances to the CFD fleet in the summer of 2018 to bring the fleet to its current total of 80, it wasn't enough to reduce chronically slow response times to emergency calls.
Former Chicago Fire Department Paramedic Field Chief Patrick Fitzmaurice has repeatedly said the department needs at least 100 ambulances in its fleet in order to meet national norms.
In the letter announcing the union's no-confidence vote on Thursday, Cleary said he personally has no confidence that Mayor Brandon Johnson and his staff can negotiate in good faith.
"Had they been negotiating in good faith, we would have a contract and safer working environment," Cleary wrote.
A Chicago Fire Department spokesman declined to comment on the union's no-confidence vote. CBS News Chicago is reaching out to the mayor's office for comment.
