Protesters picket US mayors conference

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Hours before the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors even started, hundreds of protestors were in action outside the Rhode Island Convention Center Friday morning and they plan to stay there throughout  the five-day event.

Wearing shirts that said "The harassment and interrogations will continue until morale improves" and carrying signs that called Mayor David Cicilline a "Demo-Rat"; a majority of the protesters were made up of firefighters from every local union in the state. They are supporting Providence firefighters in their contract dispute with the city.

The protest has gained national attention. An entire delegation from the Obama administration, which included Vice President Joe Biden , last week cancelled its scheduled appearance at the conference due to the planned protest. Officials said it was White House policy not to cross any picket line.

Paul Doughty, president of Local 799, called the support from the Obama administration monumental.

"The President of the United States honored this picket line," Doughty said. "Really, it's the first time a president has supported labor in decades."

Cicilline has called the protest "poltical extortion" and said the firefighters' tactics have dampened Providence's chances of shining on a national stage.

The Contract Dispute

The fight between the city and its firefighters goes back years. Firefighters have been working without a contract since 2000.

At issue are health insurance co-pays and pension reform. The latest contract offer , which according to the mayor was turned down by the union, would give firefighters a three percent raise, and would require them to chip in 15 percent for health insurance. Right now, firefighters don't pay anything for their health care costs.

"The mayor made the decision as to why we're here," said one unidentified firefighter. "We don't want to be here. We want to be in the fire houses doing our jobs."

However, Cicilline has said he will not bow to political pressure from the unions and make a bad deal for the taxpayer.

Other Protests

A coalition of grassroots organizers are also protesting the conference. They are angry about the mayor's new policy on public viewing guidelines - which asked protesters to register with the city online before picketing this weekend.

"It's unnecessary. It's draconian. It stifles speech. It's not democratic," said Martha Yager from American Friends Service Committee.

The conference is being held at the Rhode Island Convention Center until Tuesday, June 16.