WASHINGTON — An arbitration board ruled that the D.C. fire department can implement a new work schedule with more frequent but shorter shifts.
The Washington Post reported that the 1,800-meber labor organization has been fighting the proposal since 2011. Chief Ellerbe said the new schedule will save $38 million by cutting the size of the force through attrition. However, the union says it will ruin morale and upend the lives of firefighters, according to the report.
The president of D.C. Firefighters’ Local 36 said the organization will move the fight to the Court of Appeals.
Under the new schedule, firefighters would work three consecutive 12-hour shifts during the day, followed by one day off, then three consecutive 12-hour shifts at night, followed by three days off.
“I think this is long overdue,” Chief Ellerbe said. “It’s a win for the city.”
Chief Ellerbe said the savings will allow him to add more paramedics, but it would also mean that firefighters would work an equivalent of 22 days a month instead of the current eight, according to the report.
Edward C. Smith, president of the firefighters union, said the new schedule is dangerous because the more frequent shifts will make firefighters overtired, according to the report.
“We’re going to continue to fight this,” Smith said. “It will decrease the size of the workforce, and [it] makes the city more vulnerable.”