ANOTHER BREIF HISTORY OF LOCAL 311 LABOR
By Laura Laurenzi
Today’s drill at Station 9 was the history of the Madison Fire Department. We were fortunate enough to have
retired Captain Gilly Gonzales, and Firefighters Tommy Ulrich and Dick Lindauer (Lindy) as lead instructors.
We also invited retired Chief Ed Durkin who couldn’t physically make it to the drill but was available before
the drill via landline from Florida (he didn’t get the memo on how to activate the Poly-Com.)
Picture by Kevin Hembrook
In 1968, Madison Firefighters walked off the job for 3 days striking for parity with Police. At that time, Otto
Festge was Madison’s Mayor, Ralph McGraw was the Fire Chief and Ed Durkin was Local 311 President.
Today’s edition (February 19, 2011) of the Daily Cardinal talks about the strike:
http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=23588
Labor dukes it out
Madison had suffered the economic dislocation of war before, in the Great Strike of 1919. 1968 brought a rerun. In a year of bitter protest against a war
they largely supported, many Madison workers spent all summer on strike. Ray-O-Vac, the city's third-largest employer, was struck on May 15, as nearly
400 workers belonging to two unions walked out, protesting hourly wages averaging $2.25 and $2.90, respectively. The strike lasted until late September,
when new agreements provided for a 35-cent raise over three years, plus an increase in pensions.
There was even more at stake when the 1,170 production workers at Gisholt Machine Co., with an average hourly wage of $3.24, walked out on July 1.
That strike, at the city's second-largest private employer, lasted until Sept. 28, and brought the workers a 67-cent raise over three years, plus improved
pension benefits.
Meanwhile, the Madison Professional Policemen's Association negotiated a contract that raised officers' pay by $100 a month. The city's firefighters,
through Local 311, sought a similar deal. On Oct. 19, suddenly and without warning, they began a 24-hour slowdown, refusing non-emergency work. New
talks started but quickly collapsed.
It got worse. In October and November, the tensions led to firefighters calling in sick and the union voting unanimously to strike — an illegal act under
Wisconsin law. Fire Chief Ralph McGraw declared a state of emergency, and Mayor Festge called an emergency council meeting. With Ald. Soglin in
opposition, alders authorized Festge to seek an injunction preventing firemen from striking.
In the end, a strike was averted when the city agreed to a $70 monthly pay raise — with reclassifications, about the same as the police settlement.
Around this same time, city workers, both blue and white collar, began calling in sick in a bid for more pay. The council overwhelmingly voted to give
Festge and the city authority "to take all necessary and appropriate legal action" against workers. It docked the pay for workers who took unauthorized
sick leave, and the unions eventually accepted the city's offer of $20 more per week, a pension boost and double time for holiday work.
Ed Durkin, describes these three days as the hardest days of his life. He was scared to death not only for the job
security of the firefighter’s but as importantly the chance that there would be injuries or even death to a citizen
of Madison; the very people they were sworn to protect.
Although the strike vote was not unanimous (it passed by 80%), Ed said that there
were 100% of the firefighters who walked out of the stations.
Tommy described how they were told to take all their fire gear. This served two
purposes: if the National Guard was called in, they would not have gear to wear but
more importantly, if there was a working fire they could respond. Both Tommy and
Ed recall that there were no “working fires” during this time only a couple of “waste
basket” fires.
The Superintendent of Madison Schools closed schools. He told the public that it
was, “for the safety of the children”, but Ed said that it was in large part a show of
support for us. Tommy too described how the teachers were one of the fire fighter’s
biggest supporters.
It’s only been since Monday
Firefighters and Police were carved out of Governor Walker’s “Budget Repair Bill”. It’s hard to believe it was
only 5 days ago that Joe, Clay and Kevin called us together for a special union meeting. They called for
unanimous consent to support our union brothers and sisters. We knew at the time that this “Budget Repair
Bill” was nothing more than a veiled attempt to bust the Unions. We knew at the time that even though Police
and Fire were exempt from this bill, we would be next. We knew at the time that we would not sit back and
watch as Local 60, our inspectors, clerical staff, and mechanics were having their Collective Bargaining Rights
stolen from them. We knew at the time we would not hide behind an exemption, hoping if we just kept silent,
maybe Walker would forget about us.
What have we done since then?
We have had our hard fought battles with the Chief, with the Mayor and yes, even with each other. Thursday we
showed Governor Walker what Collective Bargaining has done for working relations between Labor and
Management in Madison. Have you ever been as proud as you were as we marched around the square together
with all our leaders?
Our Fire Department Family, Local 311, Local 60 and our Chief’s, have shown and will continue to show what
Solidarity is. Regardless of the outcome, this is our PROUDEST MOMENT.