00:00Every CEO has a contract. Why is it bad when a union has a contract? A union to
00:06me is my bill of rights. This is my protection up against people trying to
00:13get rid of my job. North Riverside Mayor Hubert Hermanick says having a private
00:18firm take over the village's firefighting duties could save more than
00:21$700,000 a year in pension payments and more. By privatizing the fire department
00:27eventually the pension obligations would be eliminated. In the previous six of
00:3213 years the village did not contribute a single penny to the firefighters
00:37pension fund. Chris Caballis North Riverside Local 2714. In June our small
00:42local came under attack by the village North Riverside where they put a full
00:46court press in an attempt to privatize us. Firefighters and police are not allowed
00:51to strike but the municipality cannot lock them out. Somehow the village thought no
00:57we can get the courts to say it's over. The village sent letters to all the
01:03firefighters terminating all of their employment. It would have allowed every
01:08municipality with a union contract you know terminate the contract. This was
01:14literally ground zero in terms of the labor movement. We knew that if Mayor
01:19Hermanick and in this scheme to be able to privatize they were successful in North
01:23Riverside. We knew that would spread like a cancer. I would hope that unions would
01:29know that their jobs are not guaranteed forever. This local shall remain fully
01:35committed to performing our duties to protect lives and property to the best of
01:40our ability and will not be swayed from this mission. There wasn't a choice we
01:44fought to survive. Right now they have letters sitting at home saying that they're
01:48not gonna have a job coming up in a couple of weeks because they have stood up to
01:53their mayor. They hated each other. The dislike was oozing from the pores on both
01:58sides. Mr. Corvallis I can't tell you how disappointed I am with your comments. You
02:03wait until two weeks before the election to try a stone like this. We are going to vote
02:08to hopefully start a change that fixes this town. These guys have to go in and fight a fire tomorrow.
02:15How are you gonna fight a fire with this on your head? It was never a union issue it was
02:19always a financial issue for the village. And stood together and say they will not scab on themselves.
02:24The mayor did say I'll start getting rid of the firefighters one at a time just to show
02:28them that I mean business.
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