For those of you following the "doggy park" debacle, one might well understand why this may not be as smooth a discussion as it might otherwise be.  It is going to be hard to get our policemen and firemen to take pay cuts and changes in there pensions if the city continues spending money on discretionary expenditures (but somehow, you just can't make them see it as being a wrong thing to do when we have NO money for non essential items).

3/16/2012

What was to be the first day of two negotiating sessions between Jacksonville and its firefighters union was canceled this week, but the two sides will still get together today.

The union was waiting for its attorney to finish reviewing a proposal it plans to submit to the city, said President Randy Wyse, and decided to wait until that was done before getting together.

Today’s session will be the third time the two sides have sat down to talk about a contract that would begin in October. The main sticking point following the last session was the city’s proposal to eliminate extra pay given to emergency medical technicians, which make up about 60 percent of the force.

The city is pushing for a quick resolution to the talks, which in the past have dragged on into the contract period.

Timothy J. Gibbons

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-03-16/story/politijax-may...