An Unsound Public Approach

Contract negotiations between firefighters and city officials in Santa Ana haven’t been going well for a long time, but they took a turn toward the ridiculous following the Nov. 8 newspaper ad run by the Santa Ana Firemen’s Benevolent Assn. that declared that 205 veteran firefighters were immediately available for hire. We don’t know if the association expected the city’s reaction, but it should have.

The ad, which appeared in two newspapers, said the firefighters were willing to accept employment anywhere in Southern California because they no longer could “. . . tolerate the morale-wrecking working conditions imposed by Fire Chief (William) Reimer and City Manager Robert Bobb.”

Bobb, understandably, took the ad seriously. Faced with the possibility that most of the city’s Fire Department was soliciting employment elsewhere, it was natural for him to wonder if he would have a Fire Department left to protect the city. So Bobb sent a letter to all firefighters asking if they intended to stay with the city or not. The letter stressed that if no reply was received by Nov. 15, he would assume that those people are resigning and he would begin recruiting for their jobs. He also stressed that no employee would be fired or forced to resign.

Firefighters reacted by voting to file a class-action suit against Bobb and the city for allegedly violating their civil rights by asking them to sign “declarations of employment.” A spokesman for the firefighters said the ad was intended to publicize problems. It did that. But it also needlessly created others.

Police in Santa Ana, who are also involved in contract negotiations and are seeking a wage increase and scheduling changes, took a cue from the firefighters and ran newspaper ads last week. In taking their case to the public, however, the police did not threaten resignation. They urged residents to contact the City Council if they supported the police association cause. It was a more responsible approach.

Wage negotiations between police, firefighters and the city involve many technical questions, obvious morale problems and what seem to be personality conflicts between the public safety organizations and some city officials. It’s tough enough addressing such sensitive issues without needlessly creating others that have nothing to do with the problems at hand.