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Cooper-Sutton’s rant on the fire union and what’s behind it

By , Daily Memphian Published: December 08, 2025 4:00 AM CT

Memphis City Council member Yolanda Cooper-Sutton’s comments at the Dec. 2 council session likening the process that led to a 2% proposed raise for city firefighters to being raped drew plenty of reaction among council members.

But it is not the first time this year that a council member has expressed frustration over a process rooted in both dollars and politics.

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Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.


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