Council Vetoes Contract to Overturn 24-Hour Shift for Firefighters
A tentative contract that would have returned firefighters to their original work schedules.
A contract that would have brought North Kingstown firefighters back to their original work schedules has been shot down unanimously by the North Kingstown Town Council.
The council and Local 1651, the North Kingstown firefighters' union, returned to the bargaining table following the ruling of Superior Court Judge Brian Stern, who ordered the town to "unring the bell" and nix the 24-hour shift schedule for the firefighters, back in December.
In January 2011, the council approved a new ordinance that moved the fire department from 10- and 14-hour shifts to 24-hour shifts, reduced the number of platoons from four to three and increased the work week from 42 to 56 hours while reducing their hourly pay. According to Stern, the town violated the town charter and state laws by making these unilateral changes without first negotiating or winning via arbitration. In fact, in 2011 the town's proposal for 24-hour shifts was shot down by an arbitration board that stated that North Kingstown financial situation "does not mandate such a drastic change."
For the past month, both sides have been working toward a tentative contract. Union officials and the fire department voted in favor of the agreement and sent it on to the council. At its meeting early Saturday morning, the council unanimously voted to veto the agreement after Councilor Kerry McKay made the motion to deny it.
The council unanimously instructed the negotiating team to return to the bargaining table with a counter offer to the fire union that is "fair to the firefighters and is in the best interest of the North Kingstown taxpayers."
In his ruling, Stern issued a stay of order, which is set to expire this week. The court-ordered return is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 7.
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Politics Sheriff of NK
8:51 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
It would be nice if OUR town council would explain what they were thinking when they vetoed their own agreement and kept the controversy burning. In this case maybe the taxpayers need to step up and put out this fire!
Compass Carrier
11:32 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Time for a RECALL!
mary bert
8:30 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I agree its there money there spending in courts
Rhodeyresident0303
9:03 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Agreed !!!! Who is on this negotiating team ? I'm going to assume kinder and even he signed off on this deal? This article is beating around the bush !!! What was the new deal? What was a counter offer ? How much would of have saved US !!??
Rhodeyresident0303
9:42 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
http://onlinewithtraceyc.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/council-vetos-firefighter-contract-agreement/
Above is a link I also found online about the town council rejecting their own offer submitted by their negotiating team !!!!!
LiveLaughLove
6:03 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Did you read the link? It is stunning to think that the firefighters would even consider a contract so unfavorable to them, when the $5,000. "signing bonus" is probably only a fraction of what they are owed in back pay. For the TC to negotiate this would have saved a ton of money to the taxpayers, but to veto their own negotiated contract? What do you think they will have to pay now? Do you think the firefighters, after agonizing over a contract this bad, will settle for less than full back pay at this point? Wow. I think they really shot themselves in the foot on this one.
nkres
10:01 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
So to understand this correctly, the negotiating "team" was hired by the town council to represent them (TC) in the negotiations, and brokered a deal with the Fire Union, then the same TC rejected the offer their own negotiating team brokered? How much did a month of negotiations cost us? Are we still on the hook for more court and legal fees? Why have a "negotiating team" if they don't represent the town? It's a "head scratcher" as Mr. Embury would say.
I think the illegal ordinance was approved by the last council in Jan 2012,not 2011 as the article states.
Rhodeyresident0303
10:09 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
According to the document online embury and kinder both signed and approved the agreement. Carol Heuston even approved the contract then voted against it !! Now we're gonna be on the hook for all the court costs for Supreme Court.. This battle is going to take months if not years
NK Parent
10:19 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Hopefully someone from the TC will post ASAP and explain their side of the story. I really think The Patch needs to do some more digging on this issue. It's kind of sad that some freelance blogger would have a more in-deoth summary of the events.
I'm Tired of the Games
10:28 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Sounds like the people negotiating did not have the authority to conclude a contract. Thus negotiating in bad faith. A clear violation of the State Law. Seems like these people to be polite just like to did the hole deeper financially for taxpayers. The longer this runs, the higher the ultimate cost to taxpayers. Get on the phones and email and let these people know your feelings about how this is going to cost your pocketbook once a supplemental tax bill hits your mailbox.
Sanford H Tully
11:12 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
NKFD42
For more than a decade we bargained contracts with the town and a hand shake with the Town Manager was as good as GOLD.
Madmike
12:11 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Kinder get about 250 per hour
ru4real
12:45 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
IT IS TIME TO RECALL THIS TC. Their insolence cannot be tolerated anymore.
Last November the people voted these fools back into office and added three more to make a full house. I hope that everyone is pleased by the wisdom of the voters.
I am fed up with my tax dollars being thrown down rat hole after rat hole because they want to push their own foolish agenda!
The taxpayers and residents of NK must take control of this situation. This TC and the previous one (Republicans) have shown that they have no regard for NK or its best interests.
HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET or is complete ruination of NK what you want?
Rhodeyresident0303
2:25 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
We'd have a better shot at having a mayor run out town than recalling these idiots !!!... This is all a battle to break the union and the fire department and the people who are going to pay is us the taxpayers. Our town council has lost in arbitration and in court repeatedly and now what's next ? How much money have we saved to date since the change to the new schedule ? How much have court and lawyer fees cost us? New reports online is that the town owes the firefighters over a million dollars in back pay and the new contract would have saved the town over a million right off the bat !!
We R NK
6:05 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
The town council and school department's hatred for unions and their agendas to break them, is going to totally destroy any integrity, creditability and financial well being it has ever had.
Rhodeyresident0303
6:10 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
So the superior court judge (who is a republican) ruled against the town again ordering the firefighters to return to the previous 4 platoon system they were working before the pass of the ILLEGAL ordinance was passed. And now the town will seek Supreme Court approval to stop that order and continue on to a Supreme Court battle. Looks like the only one who will win the battle will be Dan Kinder and friends. Didn't Embury try this whole stunt in Middletown and lose? I hope Supreme Court destroys this town council and kinder... Time to save face ? That chance passed more than once !!! Good luck to the men and women of NKFD !!!!
ru4real
8:45 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
You are correct on all your observations.
The question remains; HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET? HAVE THE RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS HAD ENOUGH YET?
Are you/we ready to do what needs to be done and stop this fiasco?
People it's time to organize and root out the cancer that is destroying our town!