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By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
, Joe Schoenmann (contact)
Thursday, May 7, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Firefighters want bigger piece of a smaller pie (5-4-2009)
- Firefighters have perks to give back, if they wanted to (4-29-2009)
- Shortfall looms large as fire union holds out (4-23-2009)
- It pays EMTs to do I's and cross T's (4-22-2009)
- No concessions yet from firefighters (4-12-2009)
The rift between Clark County officials and the county firefighters union broke into open conflict Wednesday.
The union’s leaders, stung by criticism that they have not offered to help close the $126 million county budget gap by offering concessions similar to those from police and other unions, claimed they had indeed told the county they would give up pay and benefits.
The firefighters say they offered concessions and even asked Clark County to use the resulting savings to reopen the county’s outpatient cancer clinic at University Medical Center. Its closure got national attention on “60 Minutes” and has been a source of embarrassment for the state.
The firefighters say their offer was ignored.
The county says the union’s leadership is lying.
The conflict between the firefighters and the county played out Wednesday in Carson City, as the president of the union testified — often in emotional language — on behalf of legislation that would force the county to reopen the cancer clinic in what appeared to be a well-orchestrated attack on county leadership.
Further complicating matters, the 2010 governor’s race is providing a political subtext to the conflict. The bill to require the county to reopen the cancer clinic is co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, the Las Vegas Democrat who is believed to be running for governor. Her competition in the gubernatorial primary is expected to be Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid.
Here are the competing claims of the firefighters and the county:
Ryan Beaman, president of the county firefighters union, sent a lengthy letter in March to the county outlining areas where it could save money in a number of different county departments. The letter noted the cost of consultants and travel, for instance.
Beaman said the union offered concessions in salary and benefits in April, including $1.2 million in salaries and $4 million in benefits. At some point he told them he wanted the money to be earmarked for the cancer clinic because, he said, with so much waste in the county budget, firefighters wanted the money to go to something useful.
Beaman said the county never replied.
About two and a half weeks later he followed up.
Beaman said that during the negotiations, Reid and County Manager Virginia Valentine asked him not to tell other commissioners about the talks.
The county tells a markedly different story.
To begin with, Beaman included a nondisclosure clause in the letter of agreement he presented to Valentine late last month.
Valentine said Beaman never mentioned UMC’s oncology unit when they met in mid-April to talk about concessions.
“Oncology never came up,” she said late Wednesday. “I’m telling you, never.”
She added that after she added up all the “cost-saving measures” Beaman had typed into a proposed letter of agreement, the county calculated it would have saved nothing and actually cost $3.8 million.
Beaman’s proposal to save the county $5.2 million amounts to this: Transfer $4 million from a fund that would have gone to erect security fences around fire stations to UMC, and reduce cost-of-living raises 1 percent to save $1.2 million.
George Stevens, the county’s finance director, testified during Wednesday’s Senate Committee on Health and Education meeting that the county could not legally transfer money from fire’s capital fund — the security fence money — to the county hospital.
Beaman called the $4 million slated for fences a “benefit” because it was something earned in collective bargaining with the county.
“If we hadn’t put it toward the fences, then it might have been added as a benefit or for salaries,” he said.
But Valentine said that given that the union wanted the county to spend the money somewhere else, she never considered it a savings.
Valentine said Beaman’s letter of agreement included a stipulation to add five shifts of vacation accrual for every union employee, which would have cost the county $5 million.
Valentine determined that Beaman’s proposal would have actually cost Clark County $3.8 million this way: $1.2 million savings from the cost-of-living decrease; no savings from the $4 million no-fences offer; $5 million in expenses from the vacation accrual measure.
Beaman said he repeatedly asked Valentine to show him her figures to prove that vacation time would cost that much.
“And she never did it, she never provided a calculation to us,” he said.
“We know it didn’t cost that much, so she just didn’t do the calculations,” he said.
The back-and-forth ends months of silence by the two sides. The Sun has repeatedly asked Valentine and Beaman, as well as Reid, to talk about their concession talks, which date to last fall.
The silence is over, both sides said Wednesday.
Southern Nevada's firefighters are GROSSLY OVERPAID. End of story.
Let them lose positions until their contract is up and then SLASH the wages. Let the prima donna's find work elsewhere if they are so sure of their value.
These guys finally get a fire this year. and the Moulon Rouge burns to the ground anyway. Just a bunch of overpaid paramedics...
The Moulon Rouge is in the city not the county. Dont confuse the two departments. And they are not all paramedics if you would actually read any of these articles you would know that.
Moulon Rouge is not in the county, true, but there is the "inter agency" agreement and the net is all the fire fighters failed.
12 hour shifts, no sleeping on the job...steak night is fine unless you actually need to "save a life"...heroes (LOL).
A lot of haters out there.... Wow, F/Fs trying to fund the cancer center with their benefits? Sounds good to me!
They failed? If they all went home alive then they won that battle. And its called automatic mutual assistance. 12 hr shifts would require the hiring of more FFs thus costing more money and more complaining from you. And it doesnt matter if they eat hot dogs or steak, they pay for it not the tax payers.
I am rapidly loosing respect for theses fire fighters.
There are two words to describe the Clark County Fire Fighters: GREEDY & MANIPULATING!! LAYOFFS at the County are coming, its very evident, but they would rather fatten their bank accounts than save jobs!! SEIU, that means YOUR members will suffer and YOUR membership will weaken.
More hating??? "fatten their wallets"? The article reports they are willing to give up some their benefits to fund the closed cancer center...
You people are ridiculous!! These men and women deserve every penny for what they do. As do the police. They should not give up a cent. I would like to see any of you cowards put your lives on the line for others! You won't because you have no courage. Thank LVFD and Metro I appreciate you and respect all that you do.
They deserve a lot, but I don't understand why their concession was that the money cut was to go to cancer care. In that case, it is no savings to the budget, but just reshuffling of money in the budget that the state doesn't have. Is this correct?
I'm ashamed of the postings that I've read. Truth be told, they would try to save your house or your life without knowing you from a can of paint!!
It's easy to be a backseat driver when you're sitting in the back seat!!
Citizen202,
Where does SEIU fit into the picture?
Read the second story in the Sun Archives (date: 4/29/09). It's very interesting the tremendous list of benefits the IAFF has garnered for it's membership.
I believe all other local union benefits pale in comparison. I guess it's about the risk to life?
Firefighters are never overpaid, and serve in a hazardous job category. To say otherwise is moronic.
Payroll,
You would probably do best to speak quietly or not at all.
The city negotiated WITH the union for what they're paid and benefits they receive.
Alot of hate out there in the Valley. It is amazing how firefighters, who are basically blue collar hourly employees and who are working for an hourly wage, are now being viewed so badly by the media. CEO's are pulling down huge salary's,stock options and benefits that they ultimately vote for themselves. Firefighter's on the other hand work for an hourly wage and negotiate for whatever they ultimately get. FF"s try to provide for their families and also serve the public. It seem's that we really do need a better PR company with all this flack.
Usually there is alot of give and take in any contract negotiation between the Union and Administration. Clark County FF's had to give up something to get what they received.
As for the $100,000 club issue that the Review Journal seems to come out with every year, those on the list work extremely long hours in addition to their normal job time commitment. The result, FF's can make a little extra cash and the taxpayers can save a little money. The cost, as with every second job, is less family time and recuperation time away from their job. Ultimately, it is the public that demands a certain measure of protection. We can't just shut down stations. Should we start shutting down the fire station's near your home? So why all the hate. Why don't you work two jobs and make more than any Firefighter will.
We are not the CEO's of the public sector. We are just normal blue collar workers trying to do a job..... Stop the Hate.