PROVIDENCE -- The firefighters union is thumbing its nose at its former president for taking a newly created management job.
The day after George S. Farrell was sworn in as the city's deputy fire marshal, the union he'd represented for nine years unearthed a letter full of irony.
It was a letter that Farrell had written in December 1996, vehemently denouncing then-union president Stephen Day's decision to resign and take a management job as a fire inspector.
"You are well aware that there is always a price to pay for the type of promotion he took," Farrell wrote. "It is all about politics . . . he now works at the pleasure of the city administration and not us. He has a new master, and when his master gives him an order, he will follow it."
The letter was not forgotten.
During an angry, raucous meeting of Local 799 at the Firefighters Memorial Hall on Thursday night, the firefighters loudly voted to send copies of the letter to the city councilors, acting Mayor John J. Lombardi, and the media. They added a heading to Farrell's old letter:
"Isn't it funny how history repeats itself?"
A lot of the members felt betrayed by Farrell's move, said Paul Doughty, union vice president.
"The tenor of the meeting was outrage -- business as usual in the city of Providence, and political patronage and cronyism," Doughty said.
There were more than 150 firefighters at the meeting, about a third of the membership, Doughty said. And it was a political night: the meeting was held to nominate firefighters for spots on the executive board, including the president's seat.
The firefighters are also concerned about how future negotiations will be affected by Farrell's promotion, as he was a former union negotiator. They have been working without a contract since July 2001. "I really think that time will tell," Doughty said.
That fear is one that Farrell himself raised in his letter.
"I can appreciate that. I can understand that," Farrell said Friday afternoon, after he was told about the union's reaction. "But I hope they understand between being president and vice president that I gave them nine years of my life and nine years of my family's lives."
Farrell said he'd planned to resign from the union presidency months ago to spend more time with his family. He told the executive board of his decision several weeks ago, and the rest of the members last week.
Meanwhile, the city budget included enough money to hire a deputy fire marshal -- a job that Fire Chief James Rattigan had been trying to create for seven years.
Rattigan said he chose Farrell for the job because of his experience in fire prevention.
Farrell is known for his work on the Rhode Island Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review and as chairman of the Rhode Island Joint Building and Fire Rehabilitation Code Board. He also chaired the committee that wrote the fire and safety code for building rehabilitation, which went into effect on May 1.
Farrell, a 22-year veteran, earned $47,401 as a fire lieutenant. With his promotion to deputy fire marshal, he earns between $70,288 and $76,526, according to the city's personnel department. (The mayor's office had initially estimated his salary at between $64,000 and $69,000.)
In his 1996 letter, Farrell had sniped about the outgoing president's new, higher salary in management. Then, as now, the letter was a political move in a political year -- Farrell was running for election as president.
As for taking inside information to the management side of negotiations, Farrell said he wants to see the union resolve the issues of pensions and the COLA system.
"I am part of the administration, yes, but I wish them well," Farrell said of the future negotiators. "I hope they're successful because I'm in the same pension system as they are."
