President of national firefighter organization will visit New London Friday

New London – The president of the International Association of Firefighters will be at fire headquarters on Bank Street Friday to support the 25 firefighters whose jobs may be eliminated June 30.

Harold A. Schaitberger, who heads the Washington, D.C., lobbying group, will make a statement at 7:45 a.m. outside the firehouse before meeting privately with union members. (This information has been corrected from an earlier version.)

"This is no longer a local issue,'' Rocco Basilica, president of the New London firefighters union, said Thursday. "This is bringing national attention to the city.''

Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio sent layoff notices last week to 25 firefighters and 10 police officers.

The City Council moved money around in the proposed 2012-13 budget on Tuesday to fund an additional $1.2 million to preserve the positions. On Wednesday Finizio said he was not ready to rescind the pink slips and is continuing to negotiate with the police and fire unions for concessions.