The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO -- Chicago firefighters are asking to be paid for living in Chicago -- just one of the many demands their union has put forth in ongoing contract talks.
The requested $3,500-a-year stipend may not seem like a huge sum, but if the firefighters are successful in getting their extra dough, you can bet all of the other city workers who are required to live within the city limits will also demand a “living stipend.”
The concept of having to pay people to live in Chicago grates at us. Firefighters make a middle-income wage — starting in the mid- $40,000s and reaching to the mid-$70,000s after 10 years of service. But they get great health benefits, a pension, a schedule that allows many of them to work second jobs and a generous vacation plan — 51 days a year. That’s seven weeks of vacation — far better than even firefighters in Paris, where the government guarantees 30 vacation days a year. The average American takes a mere 12 days of vacation. And that’s way better than Chicago Police, who get 20 to 25 days off, depending on years of service.
We’re not disparaging firefighters their days off. But we don’t think it’s too much to ask that those who are making a living off Chicago residents should also be Chicago residents. We think firefighters are important community anchors, and we want them residing in our neighborhoods, along with police officers, teachers and other Chicago city workers.
That doesn’t mean we are unaware of how difficult it can be to find affordable housing in Chicago — or the suburbs. We know what we’re saying. Salaries for union reporters at the Sun-Times are similar to those of city firefighters — sans the vacation time.
The median Chicago home is valued at $283,200. But the recent real estate slump coupled with the subprime lending crisis and multiple foreclosures have weakened the market.
It’s not impossible to find a deal, if you know where to look. Moderate-income families — defined as those earning $38,622 to $78,825 a year — are well-represented in areas dubbed “stable diversity,” according to Chicago housing experts. That includes Ashburn and Kenwood on the South Side, East Side on the eastern portion of the city, and West Ridge, to name a few.
Moreover, the city and schools offer home-buying programs for police, firefighters, paramedics and teachers.
The Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 should keep this in mind as it continues to hash out contract terms with City Hall.
To protect Chicago homes, city firefighters need to live in Chicago’s homes. This breeds a bottom-line loyalty when our protectors are one of us.
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