Mayor labels firemen bullies
Mayor labels firemen bullies
By Maureen Boyle, Enterprise staff writer
BROCKTON — Tony O'Brien says he walked past a gauntlet of picketing firefighters to attend a breakfast meeting at the VFW and heard a voice call out.
"Don't smoke in bed tonight," O'Brien quoted a firefighter as saying.
For O'Brien, whose mother and 1-year-old brother were killed in a house fire in 1965, it was a chilling taunt.
"When a guy yells out, 'Don't smoke in your bed tonight,' what is he saying? 'If we get a call to 91 Division St. we're busy?' They are way over the line," said O'Brien, who is running for the Ward 7 council seat.
It marked what some are saying is just one of a growing number of tense moments between protesting firefighters, elected officials and just plain citizens at political and quasi-political events.
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http://www.southofboston.com/articles/2005/09/20/2headlines/news/news/news01.txtIt makes no mention of Harrington assaulting the fireman.
It makes no mention of the fireman saying, "If I did to him what he did to me, I'd be suspended at least."
Oh, and check this out:
Council to probe possible sick time abuse
By Jennifer Kovalich, Enterprise staff writer
BROCKTON — City councilors have asked for records in order to learn whether firefighters are abusing their sick time, vacation, personal days and overtime in light of an ongoing contract controversy.
"We are taking a look in light of everything that has been going on, all the places they have been that we have been," said Ward 3 Councilor Dennis Eaniri, chairman of the Accounts Committee.
Councilor-at-large Thomas Brophy made the request during an Accounts Committee meeting Monday night before a Finance Committee meeting at City Hall. City councilors want to check the records of individual firefighters dating back to May, Eaniri said.
The Finance Committee met Monday night under a heavy police presence.
About 60 members of Brockton Fire Fighters Local 144, who were joined by several police officers, protested with signs and a bullhorn outside City Hall before sitting silently during the meeting upstairs.
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http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2005/09/20/news/news/news02.txt