Contract Good, But Most Keeping Their Side Jobs; The View From Ladder 129

With a new tentative Uniformed Firefighters Association contract that if ratified would grant two 4-percent raises plus an additional 3.5-percent "re-opener" increase, Firefighters are still asking themselves whether they will have to continue working second jobs.

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane NEVER ENOUGH FOR SAVING LIVES: While pleased with the new pay hikes under a tentative Uniformed Firefighters Association contract and confident that it would be ratified, Firefighter John Foertsch had no plans to give up a second job as a substitute teacher. 'I'll probably always be working a side job trying to save for a house,' he said.

Working for House Money

John Foertsch of Ladder Company 129 in the Flushing section of Queens works part-time as a substitute teacher, and while he was happy about the terms of the new wage pact, he planned to keep his side gig.

"I'll probably always be working a side job trying to save for a house," he said last week. "I still need the money."

Because of the structure of their duty charts and their ability to swap days off with colleagues, Firefighters and fire officers have the luxury of working longer hours and fewer days, making it easier to have steady work on the side. And while the new contract if ratified would lift maximum pay for Firefighters to $76,488 by next August, there was a consensus last week that UFA President Steve Cassidy was right in saying that no dollar amount could compensate for the work.

"What price can you put on risking your life?" asked Firefighter Steve Sackowski of Ladder 129, who also works as a hospital mechanic. "That's really not what the job's about. Most of us didn't take this job for money."

Gives City an Advantage

This dedication, he believes, is exploited by city officials during contract negotiations.

"That's why they always win," he said, adding that it seemed impossible that a contract would grant pay that would alleviate the need for a second job. "That would be nice, but I don't think they're going to go that far."

Firefighter Rob Kiernan of Engine Company 273 didn't know whether he was going to vote for contract ratification, even though the UFA's battalion delegates voted 50-0 in favor, with one abstention. He hoped that the raises in the new contract, which because of a re-opener clause allowed the union to re-negotiate a previous pact after Police Officers received higher raises in arbitration, would allow him to give up his disc jockey job, a gig he spoke about with only mild enthusiasm.

"I can't," he said of working his side job. "I'm too old."

Firefighter Dominick Nuzzi of Ladder 129 will qualify for top pay in December, and he is anticipating that it could be enough for him to leave his independent painting and contracting work so he can spend more time with his family and dedicate his working energy to firefighting. He also speculated that his wife might stop working part-time as well at that point.

"December is a big jump for me," he said. "With the economy the way it is, I'm really glad to see that my family, hopefully, will be able to not struggle as much."