Dear Editor,
I am deeply disturbed at what the Dispatch chooses to publish in
its newspaper. This morning I woke to read an article about
firefighters and binding arbitration.
Dear Editor,
I am deeply disturbed at what the Dispatch chooses to publish in its newspaper. This morning I woke to read an article about firefighters and binding arbitration.
The further I read this article the more disappointed and furious I became with the paper. Did you realize that on Sunday a firefighter from Santa Clara County Fire Department died in the line of duty? The story was in every other respectable newspaper and covered by television media. Do you realize that this hits close to home and shows how dangerous a firefighter’s job is? This firefighter was a 37-year-old captain and husband. Do you mention this? Do you realize that the funeral is going to be so large that they need to use the HP Pavilion for the services? Do you understand that departments from as far as Los Angeles will be represented at this funeral?
Instead, you try to start a fire between the city and the fire union over something that is not worthy of front-page news because it’s not even official. I was more infuriated over your article due to the lack of homework your reporters do for background investigation. You don’t even know how the arbitration process works, what is brought in to the hearing and what an individual arbitrator uses to base his or her decision.
Firefighting is a dangerous job. A firefighter died this week doing his job. Every year firefighters die doing their job. The numbers just keep going up. How many people do you know willingly take a job where the odds are the highest that they could be injured or perhaps killed while doing their job?
These people do it every day. But you need to drag them down in the dirt because they had to go to an arbitrator to make their job safer! Yes, the City of Gilroy was not willing to help them make their work safer so an outside source made the city do what every employer should do, provide a safe working environment. The city cried that this was going to break the bank. We can not afford it! Well it’s four years later, the city is not broke. The city opened a new fire station adding more personnel to the department. So what happened to the doom and gloom. Maybe the arbitrator was right. The city could afford to make the firefighter’s job safer.
With all that said, I would also like to send my deepest sorrow to the family of Captain Mark McCormak. He died while working in a profession he loves – one that all firefighters love. I know that he will be remembered by all.
Wyatt E. Wheeler, Gilroy
