By Peter Bukowski
The Germantown-Menomonee Falls NOW
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — The only group of village personnel without a contract now have one after the Village Board approved a new agreement with the Menomonee Falls Fire Department Local 3879.
Act 10 allowed firefighters to continue to bargain, but does have some limitations.
According to Fire Chief Jeffrey Hevey, some of those limitations remain unclear.
“Act 10 is so new, nothing has been tested,” Hevey said.
“There are parts of Act 10 that we really don’t know how to deal with them until they are matured, litigated. There are still probably more questions than answers that municipal personnel have.”
The contract covers eight full-time staff and includes a modest 1 percent pay increase for 2011 and another 1 percent pay increase for the first 11 months of 2012. A half-percent increase will be instituted in December 2012.
Health insurance contributions move to 7.5 percent for 2011 with no caps and increase to 10 percent in 2012.
After 2012, plan design for health insurance cannot be bargained and the village will have the ability to determine its design.
According to Hevey, the collective bargaining process for firefighters and police, having been somewhat insulated against parts of Act 10, is headed for change.
“I feel that you’re going to see some big changes in the next year or two. I don’t see this being etched in stone. I think there will be big changes next year or the year after.” Gov. Scott Walker said in spring that he intended to make similar collective bargaining changes for police and fire unions, although no major legislation has been forthcoming.
The chief said there are already municipalities that are asking for more from their police and fire unions than originally anticipated thanks to pressure applied by the passage of Act 10.
Considerable tensions have arose in Milwaukee as city administrators and public safety unions have fervently disagreed over what kind of concessions the unions ought to be making.
Copyright 2011 Journal Sentinel Inc.