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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/03/villaraigosa-tees-
off-on-fire-union-boss.html

Simmering tensions between Los Angeles Mayor Antonio 
Villaraigosa and the head of the city's firefighter union 
erupted Tuesday during a news conference about Fire Department 
emergency response times and dispatch systems.

The incident came as Villaraigosa and Fire Chief Brian Cummings 
met with reporters to discuss questions about the department's 
emergency response data.

In several reports to lawmakers last year, the department 
included old data that made it appear that its personnel were 
getting to medical emergencies faster than they actually were.

AUDIO: Mayor Villaraigosa blasts firefighters' union boss

The old data showed that first responders arrived at the scene 
of a medical emergency within five minutes nearly 80% of the 
time. But since 2009, the department has been using a new 
formula that showed that rescuers actually arrived on scene 
within five minutes about 64% of the time.

Cummings and Villaraigosa insisted that the data was accurate 
and that public safety had not been compromised by the reduction 
of fire engines and ambulances at more than one-fifth of the 
city's 106 fire stations.

But Pat McOsker, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles 
City, had passed out a letter to reporters accusing the 
department and Villaraigosa of knowingly using "false 
statistics" to justify budget cuts that resulted in the public 
"being put in peril."

http://documents.latimes.com/firefighters-union-criticizes-mayor-
villaraigosa/

As the mayor and chief took questions, a reporter began reading 
from McOsker's letter.  Villaraigosa interrupted the reporter.

"I wish you could take a picture of him. He's smiling the whole 
time," the mayor said as he looked toward McOsker, who was 
behind a row of journalists and television cameras.

"It's an outrageous letter," Villaraigosa said. "It is a 
reflection of the lack of leadership in that union for him to 
say the kinds of things that he did, because he knows it's not 
true."

Three years ago, as the union was in contract talks with the 
city, the group's members put up signs at firehouses across the 
city saying that the public was being put at risk by a plan 
backed by Villaraigosa to shut down fire engines and ambulances 
citywide on a rotating basis.

The mayor referred to the signs as he lashed out at McOsker 
during the news conference.

"He's the same guy," the mayor said, "that put up posters 
telling people that they were going to die."

After the news conference, McOsker said the mayor overreacted.

"He let his emotions get the best of him," McOsker told The 
Times. "It wasn't very professional. I think we should focus on 
public safety and not on the personality clash."