Chicago Firefighters Union votes unanimously 'no confidence' in department leadership

CHICAGO - The Chicago Firefighters Union says it no longer has confidence in the department’s leadership after nearly three and a half years without a contract.

The Local 2 union, which represents the city’s rank-and-file firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, held a unanimous vote of no confidence on Thursday.

The union has been working without a contract or a pay raise since its previous agreement expired in 2021.

Union President Patrick Cleary shared a letter on the union’s Facebook page, criticizing the city’s negotiators. He said that even as fire crews battled a fire at City Hall this week, the city’s negotiators "appeared unprepared to discuss anything relevant to contract issues."

Cleary also pointed out that since working without a contract, the union has experienced the deaths of four firefighters and the severe injury of three others.