Two bills making their way through the General Assembly that would mandate a 42-hour average work week for firefighters drew a sharp response this week from city officials who say the legislation would take away the city’s ability to handle its own negotiations with unions. During a City Council meeting Monday, Councilor James Cournoyer criticized the city’s House delegation, including Rep. Michael Morin, Rep. Stephen Casey and Rep. Robert Phillips, for voting in favor of the bills during a vote on April 9. The bills, he argued, would take away the city’s rights to manage its own contracts, effectively tying the hands of local officials. “I think their actions were wrong on so many levels. I like all these people individually, they’re good folks, but I don’t think they served the city last week,” he said.
The bills, which passed the House by a 62-9 vote, would require cities and towns to pay overtime to firefighters working beyond 42 hours in an average week.