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Firefighter contract dispute has no end in sight

A contract dispute dating back to 2006 with Daytona Beach, Florida, firefighters is back in the spotlight again as city commissioners have rejected firefighters' preferences in the contract proposal that they presented. This contract dispute looks like it will continue to be unresolved.

Daytona Beach residents don't have to worry whether they will have fire department support as the commissioners can opt to impose the contract as they see fit while the firefighters continue their contract dispute simultaneously.

At issue are wages, pension plan, a union leave bank and policies dealing with rules and regulations. The commissioners all support the city manager's recommendations on dealing with these issues and feel that with the tough financial position that cities are facing with falling revenues, they need to make adjustments. The city feels that it can't continue to make large payouts to the police and fire pension fund and needs to balance the monetary needs to the best interest of the public.

If the firefighters ratify the commission votes, their new contract will carry them through Sept. 30, but the commission feels that the firefighters will most likely appeal their decision to the Public Employee Relations Committee. The list of contract disputes dates back to 2006 from both sides and would likely be brought to the Public Employee Relations Committee.

Firefighters feel that the current commission proposal is less than ideal. They won't be getting a raise, the city would give them less towards their pension plans, and they won't get back the leave bank that they had set up for firefighters to be able to take care of union business without tapping into their vacation time.

The last time a contract was agreed upon was 2005, which the city feels directly relates to the economy. Since then, there have been many issues debated regarding the firefighters' contract.

Currently firefighters are waiting for the Public Employee Relations Committee to make a final decision on their 2009-2010 contracts, so these disputes take time to get resolved. If the city or the firefighters aren't happy with the ruling made by the Public Employee Relations Committee, they can appeal to Circuit Court.

Source: The Daytona Beach News-Journal," Daytona commission rejects firefighters' contract proposals," Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, March 15, 2012

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