No Settlement as Heated Accord Turns
Town Against Firefighters
Text and photos by Tracey C. O’Neill
EDITOR’S
NOTE: You would think that men and women who put their own lives on the line
every day to save lives and property of others would get more respect and
appreciation – and not just when they actually GIVE their lives. Veteran
journalist and occasional Progressive Charlestown contributor Tracey O’Neill
has been closely following the maltreatment of firefighters in North Kingstown
by their own Town Council for months. Here is a truncated version of her story
on the latest outrage.
North
Kingstown - As early as April 1, Elizabeth Dolan, North
Kingstown Town Council President said the Town would continue its course of
litigation with its firefighters union, IAFF Local 1651 NKFFA in the state’s
Supreme Court. Dolan reiterated the Town’s intention at a Town Council meeting
on Monday evening.
In an email
response concerning the Town’s mailing of correspondence and settlement offer
dated March 27, 2014 directly to its firefighters – International Association
of Firefighters Local 1651, North Kingstown Firefighters Association – Dolan
indicated that the union leadership had failed to respond to a Town settlement
offer.
Dolan’s
written intention to carry the acrimonious and embroiled battle to the Supreme
Court comes on the heels of several Union favorable decisions at the Superior
Court and State
Labor Relations Board (SLRB)
levels.
Superior Court Judge Brian Stern and the SLRB ordered the Town to
return its firefighters and departmental structure to that which existed at the
end of the 2010-2011 contract year. Final judgment was entered by Stern
as recently as January 6, 2014. All orders are presently stayed
due to the Town’s pending Supreme Court appeals.
Union
disagrees with Town’s assertions
Coupled with its
decision to proceed with litigation, was an embittered assertion that
that the Town was forced to proceed to work outside the boundaries of the Union
and its executive board in order to have its offer heard and that the Union further
failed to respond to the Town’s settlement offer.
The March 27
letter averred that it was the Town’s understanding that the Union
ratified the offer and then subsequently asked the membership to ratify the
offer.
“Enclosed is the
settlement proposal that we were told your union body also voted to ratify last
week.”
In the next
paragraph,
“We ask that you
vote to ratify it.”
Dolan further
indicated that the Town hadn’t received a response from the Union, and then
that the Union had responded, but it wasn’t to the correct settlement offer.
According to
Union President, Raymond Furtado in a phone interview on April 1, a majority of
the Local 1651 membership met on March 18 to discuss settlement talks between
the Union and Town. Furtado said there was no ratification and that there
were outstanding issues to be negotiated.
When asked for a
response to Dolan’s commentary and intention to proceed in the state’s highest
court, Furtado said he was without a firm foundation to speak as to the
Town Council’s intent. Having received no formal indication from the Town or
legal counsel, Furtado gave the following statement:
“Once again, I
am surprised by the bizarre and unorthodox methods that the Town seems to want
to employ as opposed to sitting down and coming to a reasonable solution for
everyone” said Furtado.
There’s lots
more. To read all of the article, click
here.