Fairbanks City Council amends contract for firefighters’ approval
Published Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS -- The Fairbanks City Council approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Fairbanks Firefighters union on Monday night with a unanimous 6-0 vote but not without a few amendments to the contract.
The amendments were made during an executive session June 27 regarding the contract.
Firefighters’ Association president Dominic Lozano and the City Council tentatively agreed to eliminate the 10-man minimum but keep two paramedics on duty at all times.
The two-paramedic minimum would be a part of the nine-person staff.
The city also expressed intent to obtain funding with the SAFER Act, a grant from the state Legislature, to hire three additional firefighters.
No other changes were made to the originally negotiated contract.
Councilwoman Vivian Stiver originally asked for an executive session to discuss the contract at the last meeting and asked for another executive session during Monday night’s meeting.
The council supported her motion unanimously.
“It was never a matter of not supporting the firefighters or their service to the community, but it was about funding,” she said.
Councilman John Eberhart, though not in full agreement with the amendments, reminded the council there is still work to be done.
“It’s been proven that clearly this contract can be funded, and now it’s up to the mayor and the City Council to properly balance the budget and make sure the contract can stay afloat,” he said.
Eberhart remained optimistic and was hopeful to see a more harmonious relationship between the two organizations after 13 years of disagreement.
“There were some good-faith negotiations made, and when we start pulling threads, the whole thing can easily fall apart,” Eberhart said. “Non-funding is no longer an option, as it is morally and contractually wrong.”
Now that the city has reached a decision on the contract, Lozano and his negotiating team will return to the firefighters’ association for a three-day vote (to accommodate for each shift) to either accept the amended contract, return to the table for further negotiations or head to arbitration.
“I’m relieved, but this amended contract is going to be a tough sell to our guys,” Lozano said.
Lozano expects the removal of the 10-man minimum clause will be the biggest stumbling block for the firefighters.
“Even if the city hires three more people, it doesn’t guarantee we’ll have an increase in staff at the Aurora station,” he said.
The Aurora Fire Station operates with two men but has seen an increase in service calls over the years.
“We were asking to always make sure there were at least three men out in the engine at Aurora every single day,” he said.
Lozano is sticking to his word by advocating for the contract not only for the importance of public safety but also for a better working relationship with the city of Fairbanks.
“It’s time to get beyond this and start working on a new relationship,” he said. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to put this behind us and evolve,” he said.
Community Discussion
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While it has not been an easy process for anyone involved, the tell-tale sign that this is a good deal has happened...neither side is completely happy with it.
(...to quote the article...“I’m relieved, but this amended contract is going to be a tough sell to our guys,” Lozano said. Lozano is sticking to his word by advocating for the contract not only for the importance of public safety but also for a better working relationship with the city of Fairbanks.)
Mr. Lozano, you got almost everything you asked for...now YOUR job is to sell it to your peers, whether it's a tough job or not. It would be wise to accept the contract and move on. There are many more pressing issues facing the city. Anything short of acceptance of this deal would be looked upon as greedy. Use the "importance of public safety" as a cover if you want...but now it's time to pass this and move on. In this economic climate...this is a good deal.
Why doesn't Lozano volunteer to be the 10th man and then all is happy ... lol.
Thats what negotiations mean, both sides find a middle ground that they can start from and move forward. For the record (if someone keeps one) it is not the responsability of Lozano to sell the cities side of the bargain to his peers no matter what his position with the firefighters, oldakcuss. It is his responsability to represent the views of the firefighters in the negotiations themselves and that does not make him a salesman for the city.
Having only two men on duty at the Aurora station is absolutely absurd. The residents in that area better pray that they don't have two calls at once, or heaven forbid more than that. I know I am since I live in that call area. Nine guys total for a city the size of Fairbanks is a joke!
Are there still 110 Fairbanks Firefighters on the payroll?
There are 36 fireifghters on staff
How is the city going to pay for the cost increases associated with this contract. This is the start
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jul/08/ci...
Expect a lot of new fee (i.e. tax) increases. I thought that this was a pretty sneaky move by the Mayor and at the time when the city residents are hurting the most. It is obvious which group of people that she represents and it is not the city taxpayers.
If Hilling, Stiver and Roberts supported it, it must be good for the City...Big Mike hates the firefighters and would not be happy with anything negotiated by the parties. Just read his previous blogs.
If Hilling, Stiver, and Roberts suppported it, it must be good for the City. Why is that? I am pretty sure they realized that they would lose the vote with Strle and her handpicked council member so they took the best deal that they could get.
If you don't support the award of labor contracts that the city taxpayers cannont afford you hate that particular labor group. Your agrument is lame and very old.
With increasing energy prices and labor contracts out of control combined with this Mayor, Fairbanks is heading for financial disaster.
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