SIDNEY — The city of Sidney and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 912 (IAF), which represents Sidney firefighters, have come to an agreement on a contract.
Last week, Sidney City Council passed a resolution accepting a fact-finding report involving the city and the IAF that was rendered by Fact-finder Jonathan Klein, March 9. Three days after council’s acceptance, IAF Loacl 912 President Dallas Davis hand-delivered the firefighters’ acceptance of the report.
According to the Ohio Administrative Code, the city and the IAF had seven days to formally accept or reject the report.
Sidney’s fire chief said he is glad the contract is settled and is “looking forward to moving forward and continuing to provide excellent customer service to our citizens.”
Sidney Human Resources Manager Vickie Allen told the Sidney Daily News that if the fact-finder’s report had been rejected by either side, they would have attempted to return to negotiations before moving to the next stage of binding arbitration to settle the contract dispute.
In a prepared statement about the fact-finding report, Dallas said, “The Sidney Professional Firefighters, Local 912 and the city of Sidney began contract negotiations in/or around October of 2016 for the contract period serving 2017-2019. Working together diligently, we reached several tentative agreements before reaching an impasse. We proceeded then to follow the Ohio State Employee Relations Board (SERB) procedures for an impasse resolution and requested a fact-finder. Both the Sidney Professional Firefighters Local 912 and city of Sidney have agreed to the fact-finder’s report and recommendations. We will have a signed agreement soon. Sidney Professional Firefighters would like to ‘thank’ the citizens of Sidney and Shelby County for the honor of entrusting Local 912 to serve and protect our great city and county.”
Prior to the deadlock, tentative agreements were reached regarding health and safety, nondiscrimination, dues deductions, worker’s compensation, education bonuses and a section regarding overtime pay. After the fact-finder heard the matter, Feb. 16, he made the following recommendations concerning issues that had been in disagreement:
• Negotiations will be conducted on city-paid time for union representatives, unless members are not scheduled to work. If sessions go beyond regular work hours, union representatives will be provided compensatory time off, up to 45 hours for the entire negotiation team; overtime will not be paid for negotiations.
• The bargaining unit is allowed up to 36 hours of leave annually to conduct union business, such as seminars, meeting and conferences. Also, time spent handling grievances between union representatives and aggrieved employees will be paid the straight time rate, if it is during their regular work day. The exception is for attendance in arbitration.
• Firefighters hired after Jan. 1, 1996, and prior to Jan. 2, 2017, are required to obtain paramedic certification within 36 months of the date of employment and must maintain it for 15 years from the initial date of certification. Firefighters hired after Jan. 1, 2017, must also maintain certification for the length of their careers with the city. Firefighters employed prior to Jan. 1, 1996, are not required to become paramedics, but any firefighter who is not a paramedic is required to obtain and maintain EMT certification. The city will pay for all associated costs.
• Wages increase by 2 percent each year for 2017 through 2019, effective Jan. 1, 2017. The fact-finder’s report noted the total sum of wages of a 12-year, full-time firefighter is approximately $10,000 more per year than 12-year, full-time firefighters in comparable jurisdictions, with the exception of Troy.
• There is no change in overtime pay from the current contract. The rate will remain calculated by dividing a firefighter’s annual salary by the annual number of hours worked, which is set at 2,080.
• The agreement will not change in regard to Kelly time. Kelly time is the term firefighters use to describe earned days off. Sidney firefighters work 56 hours per week and are paid for 54 hours per week. They each “earn” two hours per week or 104 hours per calender year, to take off as “comp time.” Most firefighters save up the hours until they have enough to take a full day off.
Sidney City Council is expected to adopt a resolution, Monday, to authorize Sidney’s city manager to enter into the agreement with IAF, Local 912. It will be effective for a three-year period from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2019.
