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by WILLIAM MURPHY
Another negotiating session between the city and the firefighters union ended Friday with no progress reported on their talks for a new contract.
"Same old, same old," Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said after the session with city negotiators.
The mayor's office did not return telephone calls for comment.
Cassidy would not reveal specifics of the discussion, but he said the city's latest offer might be worth less than the offer that had been on the table.
The city has agreed with several civilian unions on a contract that has a $1,000 signing bonus and a pay raise of 5 percent over three years. It insists that will be a pattern for all unions.
The union leader said the city has hinted at higher pay raises if firefighters agreed to changes in work hours that would save the city money. He said the union rejected that because it would provide for no retroactive money for firefighters who have been working without a contract for more than two years.
However, once a new contract is in place, he said, the union might be amenable to changes that would provide an immediate benefit.
Cassidy said he would meet with his executive board and should have a better idea by Monday on how the union would proceed.
Off-duty firefighters and police officers plan to heighten their protests for a new contract next week by arriving unannounced at public appearances of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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