Hackensack residents who went shopping for groceries at the Stop and Stop supermarket on West Pleasantview Avenue on June 14 encountered more than just an eggplant sale or a stray shopping cart.

Instead, close to 30 supporters of the eight city civilian emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who may be replaced by August held a rally to advance their cause. The flyers they handed out, part of an organized union campaign to save their jobs, marks a new phase in the battle between the union and the City of Hackensack over the fate of the eight EMTs.

Information equals escalation

Representatives of International Association of Fire Fighters (I.A.F.F.) Local 2081, Hackensack Professional Firefighters & EMTs, and I.A.F.F. Local 3172, Hackensack Uniformed Fire Officers Association, have been involved in a protracted struggle with the city administration for nearly four months.

As part of a Feb. 26 agreement, the city is set to receive a one-time, $1 million payment from Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in exchange for the right to construct a new cancer center adjacent to the hospital.

At issue is the part of the accord which stipulates that the city will transfer its daytime emergency medical service to HUMC, with hospital-hired workers scheduled to replace the eight EMTs under Hackensack Fire Department (HFD) command by Aug. 1. City officials maintain that the move will save Hackensack $600,000 a year, while the union believes that the savings will be considerably less. The supporters of the EMTs have been increasingly vocal at city council meetings, often emphasizing the EMTs’ experience as a benefit to the city’s overall public safety.

Union members and EMT supporters have also been critical of Vanguard Healthcare Management LLC, a private ambulance company based in Rutherford, who they believe will supply the workers that will potentially replace the eight EMTs. HUMC officials have previously declined comment regarding Vanguard’s future emergency services role in Hackensack.

Frustrated by what they see as a lack of response from city officials regarding further discussion of the EMT issue, union officials have decided to start a citywide, street-level campaign to raise public awareness. They have hired the New York-based public relations firm of Stephen Mangione Associates Inc. to help coordinate a campaign that will include what a news release termed as "informational demonstrations," as well as door-to-door flyer distribution and increased appearances at other local events.

Apparently, not even tee time is sacred: at press time, union members were planning a June 18 demonstration in front of the Farmstead Golf and County Club in Lafayette Township, where the city is holding its annual golf outing.

In a news release, HFD deputy chief Charles Grieco, president of Local 3172, stated the aim of the new publicity blitz.

"The people most impacted by this change should have a voice, and that’s what this campaign will do," he said. "The message will be loud and clear to Hackensack elected officials."

Linquito: Change needed, by any means necessary

As part of the same release, John Linquito, a Hackensack firefighter who is also president of Local 2081, stated that he believes that the new information campaign "is not about saving jobs, it’s about saving lives." Linquito added that if the plan to cut the eight EMTs does go through, the City Council and the City Manager "will be held accountable and may be looking for new work come election time."

"I don’t respond to political threats because I am in the business of government," responded City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono in a phone conversation with Hackensack Chronicle. "What this is about is what’s best of the entire city, including reducing the tax burden for the entire city. I respect the work that the EMTs do now and all that they have done over the years. But we have to keep in mind the interests of not just eight people, but close to 43,000 people."

But in an interview with Hackensack Chronicle, Linquito commented further why the union decided to step up its efforts for the EMTs.

"We’re trying to keep things much safer for the public," he said. "We’re public servants. Our job is to serve and protect, and we feel that the council, the mayor and the city manager are not doing that. Keeping the eight EMTs will save a lot of lives."

"The city hasn’t really negotiated with us at all," Linquito added. "We’ve taken it upon ourselves to go out to the public and let them know exactly what’s going on. A lot of people don’t know what’s going on, and they’re pretty shocked. The City of Hackensack doesn’t televise its council meetings. Why is that? Because they like to control what they want to do."

One solution suggested at the increasingly contentious council meetings is to put the issue of the fate of the eight EMTs up for a vote in a November referendum. With the next council meeting, scheduled for July 8, being the last one scheduled before Aug. 1 and time running out for the EMTs, Linquito emphasized his desire to alter the ultimate outcome.

"I want to change this decision any way that I can. They are playing with people’s lives here," he said. "If it goes to the ballot, and we lose, then I’ll be happy with the final decision. But if we just let the council make the decision, then that’s not fair. If I help save these eight guys, I’m helping to save the residents of Hackensack."