Labor and Union Issues
About 200 unionized employees haven’t gotten the $3,000 stipend because of a disagreement with the district over the benefit’s value
The Montville firefighters union president says data on staffing, overtime, mutual aid requests can show the need to hire more firefighters
A physician for Pasco County never saw Firefighter William Hammond, or his medical records, and claimed the cancer was not aggressive
Fire union said they knew seeking an injunction to stop the city from making the cuts was a long shot
Mayor Annise Parker is considering placing new firefighters into a separate, less generous pension plan
The cap prevents police or fire unions that settle contract disputes in arbitration from winning raises of more than 2 percent
It is not a final decision, but rather an effort to preserve the status quo until a decision is reached
Fire Chief Kirk Kelley says he is on a hunger strike until nearly $500,000 is raised to fund a new firehouse for his department
Fire Chief Peter Brown said it was not his intention to snub the volunteers; others see it as a slap in the face
Fire Chief Michael Hernandez made it clear that just because firefighters can have these substances in their systems, does not mean they are
The firefighters’ union said placing unarmed firefighters in areas with high crime puts them in harm’s way
An alcohol level less than 0.08 is not considered positive under policy; chief and union say policy is no problem
The financial pressures weighing on municipalities will make outsourced fire service more appealing; we need to be in front of the issue
In full gear, firefighters hold signs that say “people over profit” and “will work for health care and benefits”
Firefighters said the change would increase emergency response time, because they’d have to wait for mutual aid or endanger their safety
The savings would come from a reduction in overtime, vacation, workmen’s compensation, liability insurance and other costs
The firefighter has been suspended for 89 days for alcohol-related incidents and vowed to resign if declared unfit again in the next two years
She said she requested to enroll in the academy to meet the new requirements, but the fire chief denied her request
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered railroads to give specifics on oil-train routes and volumes so emergency responders can better prepared
In addition to the raises, the contract calls for the conversion of 15 basic life support ambulances to advanced life support
The firefighters said the city is violating state law that allows for layoffs only if the city can demonstrate a lack of work or a lack of funds
They said the five firefighters should be given back pay and benefits and have the incident removed from their personnel file
A firefighter and a battalion chief are accused of warning drug dealers about police raids
“If you’ve managed to stay out of trouble for two years, as long as it relates to drug and alcohol, I say, ‘OK,’ Fire Chief Darryl Jones said
The 2 percent salary raise cap expired in April and is expected to be renewed Monday
An effort to delay the plan failed, and the city will cut 21 firefighter-medics, meaning there will be seven less on duty at any given time
The woman claimed being stopped by a firefighter in a fire truck violated her rights
Fire officials said firefighters are not trained to respond to crimes and are in jeopardy when placed in high crime areas
Fire officials said the new fire truck is needed to replace two aging pieces of equipment and to provide a higher ladder to reach the top of several city structures
Houston firefighters would give up some of their ability to schedule time off in return for a 4 percent raise
Marcel Melanson, 38, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for selling city-owned radio equipment and starting a fire to conceal the theft
The lights and sirens allow the 16 officials to quickly respond to events “to assess imminent threats to the public and often help mitigate a crisis situation”
African-American and Hispanic applicants will be eligible for one of 30 priority appointments to an entry-level firefighter position