Newton firefighters marched to City Hall Wednesday as contract negotiations between the city and the firefighters continued.
NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that it's been more than 1,200 days since the firefighters' contract expired. Mayor David Cohen held a news conference Wednesday as some firefighters staged a noisy protest.
"We've been here in 2003, 2004, 2005, and now, 2007, and we are not going away," Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts spokesman Bob McCarthy said.
The contract dispute got ugly two years ago. In the summer of 2005, firefighters blocked Newton Centre and clogged Massachusetts Turnpike exits and entrances. Since then, negotiations have dragged. They stonewalled over sick leave.
Citing abuses, the city began a policy that required a doctor's note for any sick call.
"Their contract proposal would significantly increase the number of absences and would, again, blow our budget," Cohen said.
Cohen said that he will sit down with the firefighter's union Wednesday afternoon to continue the contract negotiations.
