Philadelphia council joins paramedics’ suit

    A City Council resolution authorizes hiring lawyers to help paramedics in their bid to stay in the firefighters union.

    Philadelphia City Council has approved a resolution to join paramedics in their fight to remain part of the firefighters union. A state labor board ruling earlier this week took paramedics out of the union.

    Councilman Jim Kenney introduced the resolution which authorizes council to hire attorneys to join the paramedics’ civil suit to remain firefighters and part of the union. Kenney says there is no reason to separate firefighters from paramedics.

    “Paramedics are firefighter paramedics, I’m asking the state to change the the state statue to make it clear that these are firefighter paramedics. There’s no reason in the world why these individuals who serve us so well should have their pension benefits cut their health benefits cut and more importantly given the right to strike.”

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    Earlier this year, City Council passed an ordinance saying paramedics are firefighters and even over-rode the mayor’s veto of the legislation. Kenney says it would be disastrous if the paramedics walked off the job.

    The state labor board found paramedics can’t be part of the union since they are not trained to put out fires.

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