SO MUCH DEPENDS ON THE FIRE DEPT. UNION ELECTION

By Juan Montoya
The union elections this Thursday and Friday might well determine whether union-busting Fire Dept Chief Carlos Elizondo can still deliver the rank-and-file vote to city management and keep his job.
And along with him, the future of Asst. Fire Chief Ernie Estrada may well hinge on the outcome of the election.

Elizondo became fire chief after he promised – and delivered – the union vote to do away with the hard-fought gains of the fire fighters by delaying contract negotiations with the city that wiped away specific rights of overtime and the me-too clause that pegged department raises to raises give to the police department association.

He convinced new hires to vote for his slate of union officers by promising them the world and – once he was made chief – pulled the rug from under them.

Now, with union officer elections starting Thursday and ending Friday, those union officials have bailed and Elizondo and Estrada may face the wrath of the members through the ballot box. The fire stations – always a cauldron of gossip and hearsay – have been boiling lately. In short, both Elizondo and Estrada have incurred the anger of the rank-and-file fire fighters through the selective application of their authority on certain firefighters.

If you'll remember, Estrada was promoted over much more experienced officers in the department as a quid pro quo to city manager Charlie Cabler. In return for the position of chief, Estrada was raised to assistant fire chief on Cabler's orders. That move did not sit well with the more experienced hands who were in line for promotions.

And guess who is running against Elizondo's slate? Would you believe Jorge Lerma, a longtime union organizer who know the ins and outs of the fire house more than most others? Lerma, whose sister Mary Solis, the former principal of Veterans Memorial High School, was demoted after she complained in a  Level 3 grievance that Elizondo and trustee Joe Rodriguez were pressing her and her staff to hire specific individuals and to purchase sporting supplies from Rodriguez-favored vendors.

She won her grievance and the administration had to restore her to her previous level.

Lately, many firefighters have said that both Estrada and Elizondo have made life miserable for certain firefighters who they consider hostile to their authority. This election, they say, may determine whether the union remains an independent entity and an adversary of city management which seeks to defang it and make it a toothless tiger that won't fight for the labor rights of the worker.