By Michael Jonas

There was already so much to stir public outrage in an arbitrator’s decision last month to award Boston firefighters a 19 percent raise over four years.  Today’s release of the arbitrator’s full report brings a new level of absurdity to the decision.

According to this online Boston Globe account, the arbitrator, Dana Edward Eischen, concluded that a groundbreaking contract provision that will require firefighters to submit to random drug and alcohol testing justified the increase, which is 5 percentage points higher than city teachers and police officers got in their last contract.  “To hold otherwise would ascribe zero value to a milestone drug and alcohol policy of enormous, lasting and arguably ‘priceless’ benefit in terms of human lives of firefighters and members of the public saved or rescued,” Eischen wrote.

So the outsized wage increase for firefighters was warranted because it will save the lives of firefighters.  Paying firefighters not endanger their own life, that of fellow firefighters, and the public they serve is what this all comes down to.  In what world does this make any sense?

 

Michael Jonas works with Laura in overseeing CommonWealth Beacon coverage and editing the work of reporters. His own reporting has a particular focus on politics, education, and criminal justice reform.