HAMTRAMCK, Mich. -- A proposal to hire laid-off Detroit firefighters in Hamtramck is under fire by union officials in both cities, with some calling the pitch a political "sideshow."
Hamtramck Firefighters Local 750 president Bill Diamond sent a letter to Dan McNamara, president of Detroit Fire Fighters Association Local 344, expressing concerns about a possible shared services agreement between the two cities. The letter said Hamtramck's elected officials failed to consult the union before going to Detroit City Council this week for its blessing.
"They obviously do not understand the UNION side of this proposal and how unbeneficial it would be and the turmoil it would cause," the letter reads.
The proposal would include hiring as many as 30 laid-off Detroit firefighters, the equivalent of Hamtramck's entire department, said Nevrus Nazarko, Hamtramck's acting city manager. They, in turn, would canvass a 3-square-mile section of Detroit along with Hamtramck.
They would be paid for, in part, using federal grant dollars, which officials are seeking to secure.
Detroit firefighter Bruce McMurtry, with Engine 56 at Seven Mile and Ryan, said leaders in both cities don't seem to realize the implications of such an agreement.
"I don't think city managers understand what that would entail," McMurtry said. "That 3-square-mile area they are looking at is a very busy area for service."
The proposed area of coverage would roughly be bordered by Interstate 75, McNichols, Mound Road and just north of Carpenter.
McNamara called the timing of the proposal an example of political games. Hamtramck Councilwoman Cathie Gordon, who is running for Wayne County Commissioner, made an initial pitch to Detroit Council President Charles Pugh earlier this summer.
"It must be election time, but it's not fair for the people we protect and serve or to the protectors," McNamara said.
