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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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