Commissioners vote to end collective bargaining with firefighter union

Sedgwick County commissioners have voted to no longer allow a local union to negotiate contracts and benefits for county firefighters.

Commissioners, acting as the governing body of Fire District One, voted 4-0 to withdraw from provisions of the Public Employer-Employee Relations Act.

Assistant County Counselor Misha Jacob-Warren said the law provides a way for local governments to subject themselves to collective bargaining with groups of their employees.

The change goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Don Aubry, an attorney representing the International Association of Firefighters Local 2612, criticized the proposal “to end a 37-year relationship with just four days’ notice.”

“Ending a long-term relationship like that is a momentous act, and it’s something that shouldn’t be taken in haste,” Aubry said. “This case should not move ahead so quickly.”

Aubry said the union should not be viewed as a separate entity from the county’s firefighters.

“We’re not dealing with a layer of interference,” he said. “You are dealing with the people who are affected by the decisions that are made.”

Months of contentious negotiations between the county and the union over salary increases ended in early June.

County commissioners and staff members said they were concerned about the fire district, which has its own tax base, careening toward insolvency.

“We’ve just about run out of time,” Commissioner Richard Ranzau said. “At some point in the next few years, the district will be bankrupt. That means they will have no money left. We won’t be able to pay anybody anything unless we make some changes.”

Ranzau said rank-and-file firefighters need to be involved in conversations about the district’s future and that “the current process has brought us to where we are today.”

“We’ve got to have a process that is flexible, responsive and dynamic,” he said.

Dave Thompson, the union president, said he was saddened by the vote.

“This is the voice of the people who are going into the houses,” Thompson said. “This takes away the confidence that our firefighters are covered (for injuries sustained on the job).”

Fire Chief Tavis Leake said the district’s leadership was committed to addressing concerns about firefighters’ injury coverage moving forward.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Commissioners vote to end collective bargaining with firefighter union."