|
City, firefighters resolve charge
|
|
|
By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER
The city and its firefighter union have resolved a six-month-old unfair labor practice charge that was in pre-arbitration with an agreement both sides are describing as a "win-win," they announced Sunday.
Under the agreement, the fire department will maintain a minimum staffing level of seven employees on each of its three 24-hour shifts, but will use part-time employees when necessary – not overtime or additional, full-time hires, according to Mayor Christopher Louras and Jim Miles, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 2323.
"The union is giving up substantial overtime opportunities," Louras said Sunday. "The collective bargaining unit was aware of the (budgetary) situation in the city and really stepped to the table."
Over the remaining life of the current contract, which is set to expire June 30, 2011, it's estimated the agreement will save the city $300,000, he said. That figure accounts for the attrition savings associated with not replacing three firefighters who left the department in the past year and not paying overtime to fill regular shifts, he said.
According to Miles, the agreement will also ensure the safety of the public and department's firefighters.
"This was a very important step," he said. "All sides agree seven (employees on the streets) is the absolute minimum we can have."
Chief Robert Schlacter said seven firefighters is what he feels his department needs to "initially attack a room-and-contents fire or effect the rescue of an individual."
"Firefighting is very labor-intensive and unfortunately it's difficult to staff the way you'd like to because it's also time sensitive," he said.
The union first filed a grievance in December asking the Vermont Labor Relations Board to compel the city to bargain with the union over the usage of part-time employees. At that time, Matthew Vinci, Vermont's representative to the IAFF and the one who filed the charge on the Rutland union's behalf, explained that the union felt the city was using part-time employees differently than it had in the past.
His contention is true.
Due to the loss of three positions, 120 days a year there will be only six full-time firefighters on duty. According to the agreement, on those days the seventh slot will be filled by a part-time employee.
The department has a pool of 10 part-time employees from which it will draw, according to Schlacter.
The use of part-time employees, however, was not the snag in resolving the dispute, Miles said. That was the selection of a "sunset date," or the date by which a subsequent contract must be signed after this one expires, he said. He declined to explain the disagreement over the sunset date further.
Still in discussion is an effort to have part-time employees unionize, Miles said.
At the same time the union was in discussions with the city to resolve the labor dispute, it received a request from Louras to consider forgoing its scheduled 2.5 percent raise. It declined taking the cut, but Miles said "the body wants to make sure the people know that we did consider it."
Between the loss of eight firefighters in nine years – three in the past year – and the money this new agreement will save the city, however, the union membership feels it has done its part, Miles said. The department has not been immune to the effects of the city's economic turmoil, he said.
"Every time we go into a burning building or a life-threatening situation wondering if and when back-up is going to show up, we feel the pain of the budget cuts," Miles said.
stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com
|
|
|
