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With regard to the unilateral changing of an ordinance in the thought that it will supersede a collective bargaining agreement is in fact an action that does not carry validity. This fact has been reinforced in a number of legal proceedings regarding differing issues that all relate to the same principal which is that benefits must be negotiated. Not distributed on a whim.

It should be noted that Mr. Merolla is not a labor attorney and while he is an attorney, the practice of law requires specialization of fields much like a doctor. You would not go see a cardiologist if you broke your leg. You would go see an orthopedic. Mr. Bliss, recently appointed as City Solicitor who specifically deals in labor relations and is employed at a decades established labor focused law firm has stated on the record that an action of this nature would ultimately be invalidated and would in fact cause great financial demands in the city and its taxpayers if this were to play out in the legal system.

Additionally, the firefighters contract has sweeping change, understanding that healthcare is not an issue localized to Warwick or the state, but nationally. That is the reason that firefighters negotiated responsibly to implement a new, innovative method towards aiding in the funding of healthcare that can be utilized as a blueprint for other bargaining units moving forward. The city and its residents will see a tremendous and substantive reduction in healthcare costs for decades to come. Those savings will most definitely compound.

The Captain (everyone knows who it is) is in fact a biased individual unfortunately, and no matter how fair a deal struck may be, I suspect that his satisfaction will not be met until workers represented by labor unions have been cut deeply beyond what is fiscally responsible. It is not about the good of the common man. It is about narcissism, ego, and destruction of an institution that he does not agree with. Unfortunately, the city and labor unions operate in a fair and equitable system, which unfortunately does not sit well with “The Captain” in my personal opinion.