Re: “In feud with union, Portland city manager orders his name removed from firefighters memorial” (July 3):
Portland City Manager Jon Jennings says that he has no problem with the Portland Fire Department, but rather with the union. I am not directly connected with anyone in the fire department, but I have a problem with this.
I am a member of the Maine Education Association, and based upon my experience I can say that you cannot separate the mission and purpose of a union from its rank-and-file members. Now it may be true that a particular administration and its unionized employees have different goals in a certain situation or instance, but you must learn to work together for the good of the city. Demonizing a union is wrong and does not solve any problem.
You can have a problem with the union or you can support the firefighters, but you can’t do both.
Geoffrey Slack
Portland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
