IAFF Needs Some Friends in Contract Battle; Dodd Responds?

Plenty of maneuvering and buildup go on before a group makes an official endorsement, an elected official holds a house party for a prezzie, or State Senator and NH God Lou D'Allesandro smiles your way. As evidenced from the Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest daily whose quality is probably on par with my little sister's high school newspaper, this buildup doesn't get coverage (today there was only a picture of the IAFF's protest; no story). Frankly, that's a shame because a candidate's willingness to use his or her resources for an issue are a great indicator of where their policy will lean once they're in office.

New Hampshire's largest firefighter's union, the IAFF headquartered out of Manchester, have been out of contract for well over 10 days. In their negotiations the city has offered the union a 1% cost of living adjustment at the close of the year, in return for a 50% benefits cut (nothing like a little highway robbery, eh?). Well, without devolving into local politics too much, the IAFF are beginning to protest the city and step up their PR so folks in Manchester know about the situation.

Ok, this is all fine and good, but what's it got to do with the prezzie race or Ohio? Glad ya' asked. At yesterday's rally I saw Prezzie staffers marching and holding signs. Later, the union rep. stated that they are getting support from presidential campaigns - namely the Dodd campaign. That's no surprise when you consider Dodd's unflinching support for firefighters in the past. However, the consideration to take into account is whether or not Dodd's support will have an effect on endorsement proceedings later in the game in New Hampshire. As the union rep. stated, the Manchester Local branch of the IAFF is 240 men and women strong - that's a lot of door knockers, phone bankers, and manpower (all of which is local). Dodd's support for the local IAFF is precisely the sort of thing that could have implications later on. It'll be interesting to see if other presidential campaigns start supporting the firefighters as things heat up in Manchester.