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June 26, 2012

Fire union arguing ‘bump rights’ issue

Arthur Foulkes The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The Terre Haute Fire Department and the local firefighters union are digging in for a contract dispute involving firefighter “bump rights.”

The dispute arose after Jeff Fisher, fire chief, put in place new standards for ambulance teams, requiring two paramedics per squad, rather than one.

A female firefighter — who is a 10-year veteran and an advanced emergency medical technician — was assigned to an ambulance squad as part of her job.

But under the new requirement, she lost her spot on the ambulance because she is not a paramedic. She was offered an opportunity to take an accelerated three-month training class in Bloomington, but refused because of time and distance considerations, city officials said.

The union, the International Association of Firefighters Local 758, believes this creates an unfair situation for the firefighter who will now lose her fire station assignment and be forced to “float” from firehouse to firehouse, going wherever additional firefighters are needed.

The paramedic taking her spot, who has only a few years of service, will take her place at her current fire station, they said, essentially “bumping” her from her station.

“Our contract is pretty cut and dried on this issue,” said Ron Terrell, union president, speaking Monday after a Board of Public Works and Safety meeting in City Hall. “It’s a non-monetary issue. It’s basically the inner workings of our department.”

The five-person Board of Public Works voted unanimously to reject the firefighter’s grievance, meaning the union will now take the matter to an arbitrator, Terrell said. About 95 percent of the union membership voted in favor of arbitration, he said.

Fisher, meanwhile, said the new policy is about providing the best possible service.

“The citizens of Terre Haute, who pay our salaries, deserve the best possible care that they can get,” Fisher said after the board meeting. “That means two paramedics on an ambulance. We are just trying to upgrade our level of care. … That’s the bottom line.”

City officials say the firefighter did not lose her position but rather fails to qualify for the ambulance assignment now under new standards. The union says she lost her position and, therefore, should retain “bump rights” based on her seniority.

Paramedic training has become common among firefighters in the past two decades. However, many older firefighters did not receive such training, Terrell noted. Now, to force them to attend expensive classes for several months to retain their “bump rights” would be a “really bad investment” for the city, he said.

The most senior firefighters “have only got a couple of years left. Not only is it going to be tough on them [to receive the training], it’s really a bad investment on the city’s side,” the union president said.

Achieving enough seniority to remain at a chosen fire station is an important benefit, union officials said.

“Every night they’ve stayed away from their families, they’ve earned that [seniority],” Terrell said.

The union has 10 days to seek arbitration in the matter, Terrell said. It was unclear how long the arbitration would last, but Terrell estimates it could cost the city and the union thousands of dollars each to settle the dispute.

Reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

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