The North Kingstown
Town Council bargained in bad faith with local fire fighters when it imposed 24
hour shifts without negotiations, according to a leaked decision by the state
Labor Relations Board. Town Council President and Labor Relations Board member
Liz Dolan confirmed the leak to NK Patch this morning saying,
“From the town’s perspective, we were totally expecting this.”
The NK Town Council
imposed 24 hour shifts on the fire fighters after they were unable to negotiate
a new contract with them. Dolan told Patch the Council had the authority to do
so under the Town Charter. She also said it is rare that the Labor Relations
Board is overturned. Dolan recused herself from the Labor Relations Board vote.
“We will appeal it and
we will ask the District Court judge for a stay,” she told Patch.
North Kingstown, a middle class suburb with traditionally very contentious local politics, has taken a decidedly anti-organized labor approach to balancing its budget. Last summer, the School Committee outsourced its custodial staff to a private company from Tennessee. The custodians have re-organized as a collective bargaining unit, and it is still unclear if the switch will save money.
NK also hired infamous
anti-labor lawyer Dan Kinder to act as its legal counsel. Kinder is best known
for successfully defending East Providence against allegations that its
cost-cutting measures violated collective bargaining agreements, but he cost
the taxpayers of EP more than a million dollars in doing so.
The 24-hour schedule
for fire fighters would mean an additional 728 hours a year along with an
average $5 an hour pay cut. The fire fighters, who had agreed to less severe
pay cuts, are seeking $1.4 million in damages from the town.
Last week fire fighter
and union president Ray Furtado tweeted, “Through July 23, 2013, amount of
unpaid wages to @NK_Fire members
nearing $2.1 million due to Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) @IAFFNewsDesk.”
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's
Future. Previously, he's worked as a reporter for several different news
organizations both in Rhode Island and across the country.