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Firefighters protest layoffs, ambulance service takeover

Eight firefighters were laid off and town officials decided to privatize its fire service by giving the contract to an ambulance service

NBC Chicago

McCOOK, Ill. — Workers at the McCook Fire Department have taken to the picket lines to protest a mass layoff.

The town, located just south of Chicago, decided to privatize its fire service and gave the contract to a company called Kurtz Ambulance Service, Inc.

“They really never negotiated,” veteran firefighter Danny Golden said. “They said take severance or there’s the door. They did offer a $15,000 cut that would put them-us under the savings what they’re saving with Kurtz.” The eight fired union firefighters picketed in front of the village hall Monday.

Full story: Suburban Fire Department Fights Mass Layoffs