Amid Flag Flap, Central Coventry Fire District Board Settles Union Claims

COVENTRY, RI—Amid days flared tempers on social media as firefighters say they were ordered to remove American flags from fire trucks—and the Central Coventry Fire District's board chairman insisting otherwise—both sides have managed to hammer out an agreement to settle more than $1.4 million in outstanding claims.

The agreement settles breach of contract claims filed by the International Association of Firefighters Local 3372, the Coventry fire union, demanding $1.47 million for longevity pay, holiday differential pay, overtime, pension payments, salary increases and other payments.

The agreement, signed today by the union's President David Gorman, gives the union $282,289, which the fire district said is a savings of $1.2 million for Coventry taxpayers.

“I am pleased that we were able to come to an agreement with Local 3372 that provides significant relief to taxpayers and sets the stage for negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the union” said Gayle Corrigan, district manager. “We are committed to ensuring the District continues to provide quality public safety service at a price taxpayers can afford.”

In a news release, Corrigian also said that the district "has equipped all of its fire apparatus with new American flags that replaced old, tattered and dirty flags which were on the trucks."

“I’d like to thank Tony DeQuattro of Operation Stand Down-Rhode Island for providing us with the correct protocols to ensure American flags on our fire trucks are afforded the respect they deserve,” Corrigan said. “I would also like to thank the taxpayers who brought the issue of dirty and dingy flags on our trucks to our attention and questioned us about proper flag etiquette. We now believe our trucks are in compliance.” 

The agreement is unlikely to quell the simmering outrage over the whole flag flap situation, and firefighters insist that they were told that the flags were to be removed along with union decals and stickers.

The flashpoint occurred midweek when a video of Board Chairman Fred Gralinski, speaking at a board meeting last year, likened the appearance of flags on the back of fire apparatus to flags flown by terrorists.

Gralinski said in a statement that he regrettably chose the wrong words to describe his impressions. And, in an interview with the Patch on Tuesday, said that he has simply tried to raise the issue because of concerns about safety and uniformity. What if, he wondered, if a flag broke off and flew into someone's windshield. And he said that citizens would likely be concerned if the local teachers' union slapped a union sticker on the front door of a school.

"It's a taxpayer-owned truck," Gralinksi said. "You don't have FOP stickers on police cars. You don't have union stickers on the front door of a school."

Gralinski said that the whole fiasco began when Corrigan had a conversation with union President Dave Gorman about the policy. She told him that they still wanted to develop a policy going forward to address the decals and the display of flags and there was no demand made, Gralinksi said. 

Firefighters dispute that assertion. And they've hammered Gralinski on social media all week, rallying support from firefighters across the country who've shared photos of flags on their trucks. They've started a petition calling upon him to resign. And screenshots of rants reportedly his son, Brett Gralinksi, on Twitter and Facebook in which he says "#coventryfd losers scumbags"  and "[expletive] the flag" have been widely circulated.

While the drama has reached a new intensity, it's nothing new for the beleaguered fire district that went into receivership and a short lived bankruptcy that was terminated last October.

District officials say the district is finally on a stable path and paying its bills. Firefighters are getting paid and the most recent settlement puts to rest at least one outstanding issue.

According to the agreement, the union will drop all claims in exchange for the payments and other terms. See below:

Photo courtesy: Everett Trainer