Paul Doughty: 16 to Watch in 2016 in RI

The battle between the City of Providence and the Providence Firefighters Union has its big showdown on February 8, 2016.  This ongoing battle may determine the very viability of the City of Providence. 

Paul Doughty of the Providence Firefighters' Union has been leading the charge against the Elorza administration's new staffing plan and 2016 taxpayers are likely to see controversial conclusion.

According to Doughty with the Local 799, that’s the next date on the calendar for firefighters and the City of Providence for arbitration — for just one of the grievances the firefighters have filed with the city, following the controversial platoon shift put into place by Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza this past summer. 

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“They're all related to the effects -- there's ten different sets of effects,” Doughty told GoLocal earlier in December. “Can you imagine four torpedoes — that’s what it’s like.  We're still focusing on preliminary matters.  The next day for [the arbitration that took place in December] is February 6, then there are 9 more sets of effects."

“That’s the problem in my mind,” continued Doughty. “It takes so long, and you get whatever scheduled they provide.  We’ll probably have four more dates after just for this [greviance]."

Doughty has been understandably the most outspoken opponent of the administration’s platoon change decision - and Doughty claims a win by the firefighters would be devastating for the city.  
In September, Doughty warned that if the city loses its protracted legal battle over platoon shift changes, that Elorza should “just hand over the keys of the city” to bankruptcy.
 

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