An editorial “Firefighters fail to answer alarm“ whines “Lancaster firefighters are rightly praised for their swift and decisive response in times of crisis, but there is nothing swift or decisive  or reasonable in the way they are responding to the city’s financial crisis.

Instead of answering the call to do their part to help ease the city’s financial burden, the firefighters, members of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 319, are stubbornly adhering to the terms of a generous contract they negotiated a year-and-a-half ago at a time when the economy was bad, but not nearly as bad as it is today…

City firefighters need not bear the entire burden of sacrifice as the city seeks to right its financial ship. Others need to step up.

But firefighters can – and should – do their part.”

WATCHDOG: The old dog is touched by the  sentiments of sacrifice and altruism expressed by a partner in Penn Square Partners, equitable owner of the  Marriott Hotel which they managed to be exempt from real estate taxes.

Were he still with us, George Meany, the founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) would be rolling in the aisle laughing at the naïve notion that unions were to have anything else in mind than negotiating the best deal possible for its members, all things considered.  (And perhaps there were” things” such as lay offs that were not considered.)

Meany converted unionism from a socialist and anarchist movement espousing the type of altruism  as expressed by our monopoly newspapers,  to hard nose business practices. By taking unionism out of the political arena, he not only vastly improved the conditions of the masses but probably saved the capitalistic system.

“It takes two to tango” and it takes two to negotiate.   Apparently the City was lulled into complacency or undue fear of arbitration and rolled over and played dead. Perhaps the looming election had something to do with the City’s hesitancy.   We can’t fault the firefighters for that!

We can only expect the fire fighters to return to the negotiating table prior to the end of their contract if it suits their purposes.  Meanwhile, perhaps the Lancaster Newspapers and the High Group should search their own consciences about their real estate tax exemption, assuming a lot when it comes to the latter.