President of Ogdensburg fire union fights back against proposal to eliminate 10 department jobs

Nov. 11--OGDENSBURG -- Jason Bouchard, president of the Ogdensburg Professional Firefighters Local 1799, called into Monday night's City Council meeting during the public comment period to protest the proposed elimination of 10 fire department positions.

City Manager Stephen P. Jellie last week delivered his preliminary 2021 budget to City Council, which called for a reduction of force at the fire department by 10 positions.

"Local 1799 views the recent decision to violate our contract by cutting 10 positions is another irresponsible attempt to dismantle out department and decimate public safety in Ogdensburg and coerce our union to the negotiating table," Mr. Bouchard said while reading from a letter to the council.

Mr. Bouchard, who has previously represented the city fire department's positions in person, was on the line with City Council, this time because the meeting was moved to a virtual platform due to St. Lawrence County's recent rise in COVID-19 cases.

Six of the seven council members were together in City Hall along with several staff members for the hour-long meeting.

While making his comment, Mr. Bouchard cited a six-year contract firefighters signed last year that included a reduction of four positions, through attrition, and a new health insurance plan that would cost union members more than the previous agreement.

He said the contract would save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars over its life.

"Details of what we have sacrificed do not fit the narrative and agenda set forth by the majority of council now being driven home by ... (Mr.) Jellie," Mr. Bouchard said.

Mr. Bouchard called Mr. Jellie a ruthless union buster with zero municipal management experience, who has done nothing to foster good faith between workers and management.

The firefighters will stand up against the threat to their contract, he said, for all other unions in the city that could face the same challenges from council.

Mr. Bouchard said his union hired an economist to go over the city's finances to determine the need to cut more from the fire department and claimed the city was not suppling the fire department with enough information to begin negotiations.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Jellie sent an email to Mr. Bouchard in response to his comments made at Monday night's council meeting. The email's subject line was: "Good faith?"

"Yes, good faith," Mr. Jellie wrote. "I requested informally on several occasions to discuss this matter prior to my formal request on 23 September to begin formal discussion on potential courses of action; to date you have refused all such requests. I made additional attempts since my request on 23 September; all to no avail with the exception of your email on 29 September referring me to your attorney."

Mr. Jellie said some of the financial documents would not be available until an audit was completed, but there was no need to wait.

"If your position is simply that you are not willing to negotiate, or that you are not authorized by your membership to negotiate, please candidly admit that," Mr. Jellie wrote. "Your delay in working on this matter has left two options; 1. Do nothing, which is not an option for the city (or) 2. Move forward without your input, which we will continue to do."

Mr. Jellie closed by asking Mr. Bouchard to meet on Nov. 12.

He included in the message a series of emails from Sept. 28 asking Mr. Bouchard to negotiate.

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