There's a battle brewing at East Cleveland City Hall between firefighters and the city's mayor.
East Cleveland firefighters picketed outside Mayor Eric Brewer's office Friday, protesting his decision to hire part-time firefighters to cut back on excessive overtime.
Last year the city spent $427,000 in overtime, and this year it is expecting to pay $600,000.
Brewer says enough is enough.
"We're not going to continue to double the salaries of some of our firefighters with overtime," said Brewer.
Firefighters are arguing that the mayor's cost-cutting plan will end up costing homeowners and businesses a lot more.
They say that people will pay more in fire insurance because the mayor's move will lower the city's ISO rating, a determining factor on how safe the city is.
Firefighters fear the change will also hurt the department's national performance rating.
Brewer says he won't budge. His firefighters say they'll keep protesting right outside his office window at City Hall.
They mayor said some of the firefighters on his list of part-time hires have more experience than current employees. He believes the move will improve the department.
Copyright 2006 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
