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StumbleLas Vegas firefighters reach tentative pact with city
Agreement to save city $6.5 million over two years, avoid ‘brownouts’ of vehicles
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 5:20 p.m.
Sun Coverage
After months of wrangling — and even declaring an impasse in May — Las Vegas firefighters and the city reached a tentative pact late Tuesday afternoon that's expected to save the city $6.5 million during the next two years.
The tentative agreement will next go before the Las Vegas City Council and must also be ratified by the union membership, according to a joint statement released this afternoon by the city and the International Association of Firefighters Local 1285.
The city council is expected to take up the agreement Wednesday, July 7, and IAFF members will vote Friday and next Tuesday.
If approved, the city will avoid going through arbitration proceedings.
“Reaching an agreement was critical based on the fact the city was facing an $80 million shortfall last year and looks to be facing another $50 million shortfall this coming year,” City Manager Betsy Fretwell said in a prepared statement.
“The ability to work with our bargaining units is the way we’ll be able to preserve services and jobs,” Fretwell said.
Dean Fletcher, president of the local firefighters union, said the union has been negotiating in good faith from the beginning.
"We have never had our sole focus be on our salaries or our benefits. Our negotiations have always been about public safety," Fletcher said in a prepared statement.
"Las Vegas Fire & Rescue has one of the very best records in emergency medical care in the United States and we are confident in our state-of-the-art firefighting services. We are proud that we fought with everything that we had to reach this agreement with the city to avoid brownouts that would have endangered public safety and increase response times.”
The proposed agreement is about 64 percent of what the the city had targeted in budget cuts for the fire department in the budget for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins Thursday, and 74 percent of the goal for the 2012 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2011.
Details of the agreement include:
-- No cost of living (COLA) adjustment in Fiscal Year 2011, with the ability of both parties to reopen the contract for negotiation of cost of living and salary schedules in Fiscal Year 2012.
-- A 50-percent reduction in step increases in Fiscal Year 2011 and Fiscal Year 2012, and a reduction in the first step for new employees by 5 percent in Fiscal Year 2011.
-- No uniform allowances in Fiscal Year 2011, with the ability of both parties to reopen the contract for negotiation in Fiscal Year 2012.
-- A reduction of medical contributions by the city from $450 per pay period, per employee to $360 per pay period, per employee. In addition, instead of receiving medical contributions for 26 pay periods annually, employees will only receive them for 24 pay periods.
-- A reduction of the emergency medical system (EMS) documentation pay for paramedics by 50 percent in Fiscal Year 2011, with total elimination in Fiscal Year 2012.
-- An increase in the availability of “roving staff” to 8 percent, which will reduce overtime.
-- The city agrees not to pursue a request for proposal for the privatization of EMS services for the duration of the contract.
-- An elimination of the need for “brownouts” based on the ability to restore services through the savings in this agreement.
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It's not perfect, by any stretch, but it's a step in the right direction.
I think that some of the basic premises need to be re-visited, such as classifying FF as "exempt" employees with no OT and a reasonable salary would be better start. (I'm sure croc1 and Buddy might disagree with me. :) ).
I'm actually not so sure I agree with the clothing allowance reduction/elimination. If that applies to equipment then even I would say that is not fair. If it applies to parade uniforms then maybe it is. Even the armed forces have to pay for special uniforms (ask any Marine what a set of dress blues cost).
What I would really like to see is a link to the current contract the City has with the IAFF. The Sun posted a link to the County contract, now let's see the same for the City of Las Vegas.
You have to be kidding. Reducing the "documentation pay" by half. Still paying them to fill out their paper work as though that is not a part of their job. Then agreeing NOT to go out to bid and privatize the EMS portion of the work. Why not. Bid it out and end this continuous problem of paying too much and providing ridiculous benefits when its cheaper to bid it out.
Then bid out the fire protection.
This is just giving into the unions during an election year...again.
between Birdieman and neiman, it appears the firefighters can't ever do anything right.
But Birdieman still wants to be a fireman, neiman while he is just neiman, but maybe neiman wants to be a fireman too!!!
I will be the first to say that in my experience the FF EMT's are FAR better than the private services. I have had reason to call them twice, and my wife has once, for serious medical emergencies (assuming heart attacks count as serious) in the last 2 years. The private service personnell that showed up for transport were not even close to the FD when it came to giving me confidence in their ability and knowledge.
That said, I want fair value for payment rendered, hence my complaint with the current contracts. I think that the FD (including EMT's), along with police and roads, are a legitimate realm for government. But I think unions for government employees are wrong.
boftx-I found the contract on the city's website. It is quite fair, especially compared to the county.
neiman1- I was going to ask you what would make you happy, but clearly it is privatizing everything. Your stupidity is what keeps these guys in the business I'm sure. When I lived in Arizona years ago, we were living your good life with that stuff privatized. Until the ambulance company bailed over night, and the news cameras caught the fire protection service standing on the street watching the houses burn down because they didn't pay them. Keep coming up with those grand ideas though! Maybe we can privatize the police.
180K a year seems very reasonable for sitting around the fire hall watching movies. good job "negotiators"--really hard bargaining!
mrlucky- You're an idiot.
@croc1 - mrlucky is NOT an idiot, if you don't like the true in your face, too bad.
@boftx... I agree in part to your suggestion of going Salary. My experience with being a salary person and working for salary people is that they always got that time refunded to them with time off. If this were to happen for a firefighter then OT would still be there. They either have to over hire (at a cost to taxpayer)to fill vacations, sick time, and injuries or either eat OT or brownout units. Also, I was never in the Marines but did spend some time in another branch. My dress blues were issued to me as was my fatigues. Each year I had a little stipend that allowed me to get, if I remember correctly, two fatigues a year. This wasn't enough to replace the wear and tear but it was something.
HeyVegas- I'm sorry your'e offended, but with a post like he made it shows total ignorance on the issue. He does not care about taxpayers, he just doesn't want any FF making more that he does........Who are YOU anyway, his wife?