Press Release 3
Firefighters file labor complaint
July 1, 2010
Evanston firefighters are at loggerheads with their city manager, charging
that his recent order calling for the layoffs of three firefighters was an
attempt to use coercion and intimidate them after they invoked arbitration to
resolve their contract impasse with the city.
Members of Evanston Local 742 filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint with
the Illinois Labor Relations Board Tuesday, calling for the board to rescind
City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz's layoff notice and stop the city from making such
moves on the basis of gains firefighters might derive from the arbitration
process.
At a news conference in Firemen's Park, Brian Scott, union president,
disclosed that staffing levels were at the heart of firefighters' dispute with
the city, and a main reason they went to negotiations.
"It's important that the city manager rescind these layoffs so we can
maintain our response capability moving forward," Scott said. "It's important to
remember that coercion and interference with good-faith bargaining is against
the law and we're confident we will succeed in our charge."
Bobkiewicz declined to comment Monday or Tuesday on the firefighters'
actions.
In announcing the layoffs two weeks ago, Bobkiewicz said the layoffs were
necessary to fund any salary and benefit increases that may be awarded to the
fire union under arbitration.
Bobkiewicz said the city does not have resources to provide firefighters with
salary and benefit adjustments greater than what was reached in recent
settlements with the city's two other main employee groups � the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the city's police.
Scott disputed the manager's claim that the issue was about money, noting
that firefighters have already agreed to major economic concessions.
Firefighters had already provisionally accepted the city's demand for a zero
percent pay raise for 2010, make increased contributions to their health
insurance and forfeit holiday pay, along the lines agreed to by other employee
groups, he said.
Scott maintained that Bobkiewicz was poised to sign off on a new contract
that included those union concessions, but balked at a new contract term that
called for preserving service levels as unanimously approved 9-0 by aldermen in
the 2010 city budget. He said firefighters were trying to "reflect their
(council members') wishes for the current fiscal year.
He said Bobkiewicz balked at the notion of the new provision carrying over
into successive contracts, quoting the city manager as saying he would like the
provision "to turn into a pumpkin."
By law, Bobkiewicz had the duty to bargain the matter, Scott said. He said
service level provisions are in place in many departments throughout the state.
Officials currently have the unilateral ability to set staffing levels.
Interim Fire Chief Greg Klaiber issued a memo last week outlining changes the
department would make to provide service with the reduction in staffing, in some
cases replacing an ambulance with an engine as the first responding vehicle.
"Why give up the unilateral ability to make such changes," one official said,
"especially at a time when we are facing unknown financial consequences."
At the press conference, Scott said it was firefighters' understanding that
Bobkiewicz went forward with the layoffs after receiving support from aldermen.
One alderman, though, contacted Tuesday, said she wasn't on board for
changing staffing levels, as agreed upon in last year's budget.
The alderman, Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, had argued strenuously at that time about
a cutback in staffing that the firefighters union maintained could double
response time in some cases.
"We need to remove the quotation we're striving to be "the most livable city"
if you're not going to be providing adequate fire service," said Rainey, the
senior member of the City Council. "We need 26 firefighters on shift. We
absolutely need it.
"It's not about the hours, it's not about the money, it's not about vacation
time," she said. "I think it's a bizarre situation and I'm frightened.
"I don't believe there's a full understanding of the activities of this
department."
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