To the Editor:
The Board of Finance and First Selectman have written a few notices lately regarding the town budgets, and I just feel a few things have gotten lost in the shuffle.
My husband went to Town Hall the other day so his fellow firefighter could turn in his retirement papers. He has served this town for 38 years. He did this not because he wants to retire, but because he has to.
It was a sad moment for everyone. This is years of experience walking out the door, and he is not alone. They are all facing significant reductions in benefits.
The Firefighters Union and the town are still in arbitration over their contract. My husband has been a firefighter in this town for over 20 years. He did not take this job to be wealthy. He took this job because he cares about this town.
He was born and raised here. He, like his brothers and sisters in the department, want to protect this town, its people and their properties. In exchange for their service, they rely on the health insurance and pensions they were promised when they were hired.
Their original contracts included health insurance for both themselves and their families, and their pensions (which Westport firefighters pay more into than any other local municipality).
Firefighters don’t get bonuses, they don’t get stock options, they spend a lot of time away from home, they spend holidays away from their families and they are at a higher risk for injuries and cancers than almost any other profession.
This insurance and these pensions are the things they rely on for their families in the future. And the town wants to significantly reduce them and potentially eliminate the benefits to surviving families.
If my husband dies in the line of duty, my son will no longer have health insurance? Making changes to new contract hires may be reasonable and necessary, but changing these kind of contract items for people who are already doing the jobs and risking their lives should not be negotiable.
We currently stand to lose at least 275 combined years of experience all at once. We may end up with a wealthy town, and nice beaches, but who will be here to protect it? Who will risk their lives for us if we won’t take care of them in return?
What I’m asking is that you call or email Jim Marpe, (First Selectman 203-341-1111 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ), or Brian Stern (Board of Finance .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)), tell them you support your local firefighters and your community.
Kathy Denke
Westport
