The City of Pittsburgh is suing several fire apparatus manufacturing companies, citing a monopoly on truck parts.
City officials on Monday afternoon said the antitrust lawsuit alleges that the companies are lessening competition, reducing output, causing a shortage of apparatuses, delaying deliveries and raising prices.
Pittsburgh officials said the lawsuit is designed to protect taxpayers who are forced to pay more on the local and national levels because of the increased costs.
“The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire always shows up when help is needed and it’s our commitment to provide proper equipment to our firefighters, provide emergency services to our communities and ensure our taxpayers’ dollars are being invested properly,” Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said. “By hiking prices for trucks and replacement parts without competition, the defendants have made it harder for the City of Pittsburgh and other municipalities across the country to make the required investments in lifesaving safety services and put the burden back on our communities.”
Pittsburgh firefighters’ union president Ralph Sicuro expressed support for the lawsuit, saying the issue is also a matter of community safety.
“When the cost of essential fire apparatus is artificially increased, every community pays the price. We support the City’s efforts to pursue accountability and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent fairly, transparently and in a competitive marketplace,” Sicuro said.
Officials said the lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Wisconsin’s Green Bay Division because that is where multiple of the companies named in the lawsuit are located.
The press release shared by Pittsburgh officials on Monday did not name the companies in the lawsuit. Channel 11 is working to learn more and will provide updates once that information is available.
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