Norwich firefighters and police are opposing a city policy requiring them to use sick, vacation or personal time when they contract COVID-19 on the job.

NORWICH, CT, Aug. 31 A complaint against a city ordinance that mandates firefighters to take sick, vacation, or personal time when dealing with COVID-19 that they most likely contracted on the job was joined on Monday by the city police union. Norwich Fire Fighters Local 892 president Michael Podzaline once more attacked the city for not providing paid firemen with help during the pandemic. At the second public discussion held by the City Council on Monday to solicit feedback from businesses and people on how to spend almost $30 million in American Rescue Plan funding over the next two years, Podzaline gave a speech. On September 7, the council will vote on City Manager John Salomone’s proposed spending plan for the first $9 million of the $14.6 million award for the first year. The state Department of Labor has received a complaint from the firefighters’ union, and on Wednesday the Labor Relations Board will hear the case behind closed doors.

Salomone stated that because of the ongoing complaint, he is unable to comment on the matter. Podzaline, speaking at a seminar on August 16, estimated that from the start of the pandemic, 112 Norwich firefighters have been exposed to or illened by COVID-19, some of whom stayed at home instead of exposing other firefighters. The president of UPSEU Norwich Police Local 104, Police Officer Steve DeLoreto, stated on Monday that police have encountered the same policy. Officers responding to instances where they were probably exposed to COVID-19 were told by municipal officials they could not show they got the virus at work, according to examples given by DeLoreto.

Despite the fact that many City Hall employees worked from home during the first year of the pandemic, both union representatives said the city permitted up to 80 hours of COVID-19 leave. They requested that the city use a tiny amount of the ARP COVID-19 relief funds to restore their lost personal time off, but they stated that they were not asking for direct pay for their union members. About 12 police officers and one dispatcher are involved in his request, according to DeLoreto. “Can any of you imagine what it would be like to walk into a home not knowing if any of those within had COVID?” The council was asked by DeLoreto. “It happened to me at least a half-dozen times when the person I was interviewing mentioned they had COVID after the interview.”

One cop he mentioned frequently puts in “so much overtime he basically lives at the Police Department.” However, municipal officials determined that the officer did not obtain COVID-19 at work, according to DeLoreto. In another instance, an officer had to use his personal time off after responding to an unexpected death call and receiving a directive from the city to not report back to work until he got a negative COVID test. “Placing the burden of proof on your police officers and firefighters is inappropriate,” DeLoreto stated, “especially when doctors and scientists in the country are yet to fully understand COVID-19.”

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