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==Bussie in Shreveport==

==Bussie in Shreveport==

After service in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], Bussie joined the Shreveport Fire Department and became a leader in the firefighters' union. He became chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau and the president of the Central Trades and Labor Council. [[James C. Gardner]], who served as [[mayor]] of Shreveport from 1954 to 1958, described Bussie as "well-spoken" and his "polite and reasonable manner made him widely sought as the 'labor member' of various civic boards." As a second assistant chief, a position Bussie obtained without waiting for civil service seniority, his signature was required on all certificates of occupancy for commercial buildings, a position of considerable power.<ref>[[James C. Gardner]], ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport,'' Vol. I,  [[Sarah Hudson-Pierce]]"s Ritz Publications, p. 303.</ref> Some in the business community accused Bussie of requiring work beyond the municipal building or fire code regulations in order to create more employment within the building trades. To check Bussie, officials activated, as permitted by the city charter, a building code board of appeals to prevent abuses.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 304–305.</ref>​

After service in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], Bussie joined the Shreveport Fire Department and became a leader in the firefighters' union. He became chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau and the president of the Central Trades and Labor Council. [[James C. Gardner]], who served as [[mayor]] of Shreveport from 1954 to 1958, described Bussie as "well-spoken" and his "polite and reasonable manner made him widely sought as the 'labor member' of various civic boards." As a second assistant chief, a position Bussie obtained without waiting for civil service seniority, his signature was required on all certificates of occupancy for commercial buildings, a position of considerable power.<ref>[[James C. Gardner]], ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport,'' Vol. I,  [[Sarah Hudson-Pierce]]"s Ritz Publications, p. 303.</ref> Some in the business community accused Bussie of requiring work beyond the municipal building or fire code regulations in order to create more employment within the building trades. To check Bussie, officials activated, as permitted by the city charter, a building code board of appeals to prevent abuses.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 304–305.</ref>​

 

Early in 1955, Bussie, acting through the Central Trades and Labor Council during his lunch hour, called a strike of waitresses at Brocato's Restaurant in Shreveport when the company declined to rehire a fired waitress. In retaliation, Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner [[J. Earl Downs]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ritzpublications.com/1954-58-shreveport-city-council.html|author=Mary Jimenez|title=The $19 million solution: Bond election sets up 1950's Shreveport for growth|date=March 6, 2005|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=June 27, 2013}}</ref> the older brother of an influential state Senator, Crawford Hugh "Sammy" Downs (1911-1985) of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], demoted Bussie to the rank of captain and assigned him to a fire station. Bussie took unpaid leave and appealed Downs' decision to the Fire and Police Civil Service Board. After fourteen sessions and fifty hours of testimony, the civil service board voted 4–1 to uphold the demotion, with the lone dissenter being the firefighters' representative. Bussie announced that he would appeal to the courts. Meanwhile, he became the state AFL-CIO president for the remainder of his working career and lived in Baton Rouge. No action was ever taken by the courts in Bussie's appeal.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 321–322.</ref>​

Early in 1955, Bussie, acting through the Central Trades and Labor Council during his lunch hour, called a strike of waitresses at Brocato's Restaurant in Shreveport when the company declined to rehire a fired waitress. In retaliation, Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner [[J. Earl Downs]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ritzpublications.com/1954-58-shreveport-city-council.html|author=Mary Jimenez|title=The $19 million solution: Bond election sets up 1950's Shreveport for growth|date=March 6, 2005|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=June 27, 2013}}</ref> the older brother of an influential state Senator, Crawford Hugh "Sammy" Downs (1911-1985) of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], demoted Bussie to the rank of captain and assigned him to a fire station. Bussie took unpaid leave and appealed Downs' decision to the Fire and Police Civil Service Board. After fourteen sessions and fifty hours of testimony, the civil service board voted 4–1 to uphold the demotion, with the lone dissenter being the firefighters' representative. Bussie announced that he would appeal to the courts. Meanwhile, he became the state AFL-CIO president for the remainder of his working career and lived in Baton Rouge. No action was ever taken by the courts in Bussie's appeal.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 321–322.</ref>​

 

Gardner said that the demotion "turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Bussie and the labor movement in Louisiana ... He was extremely effective as the Louisiana leader of organized labor and brought a level of influence for labor in Baton Rouge that it had not previously enjoyed.<ref>''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, p. 322.</ref>​

Gardner said that the demotion "turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Bussie and the labor movement in Louisiana ... He was extremely effective as the Louisiana leader of organized labor and brought a level of influence for labor in Baton Rouge that it had not previously enjoyed.<ref>''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, p. 322.</ref>​