Fire Union rejects special magistrate findings

Pasco County, FL -- The County announced on Dec. 23, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) rejected eight of the ten recommendations made by Special Magistrate Mark R. Sherman.?

As a result of the Union?s rejection of those recommendations, the County Commission will be required to conduct a public hearing to resolve the Union demands for:

• Less restrictions on employee?s off duty employment;
• Increase in senior employee vacation leave;
• Distribution of the union leave pool (approximately 3,500 hours of employee donated time worth about $70,000.00) to the Union;
• Increased rights for an employee to swap work time with other employees;
• Elimination of employee fire station maintenance responsibilities previously agreed upon;
• Adding five additional years of eligibility for retiree health insurance benefits;
• County paid education and training for under-qualified employees to qualify for newly created jobs.

Pasco County says it received a mostly favorable ruling from Special Magistrate Mark R. Sherman.? However, the County will be rejecting two minor recommendations that were included in the Special Magistrate?s Nov. 30, 2011 report.

• The County will reject a recommendation that would allow IAFF Union identification stickers on fire/rescue personnel helmets. The Union originally proposed 911 commemorative stickers but revised its proposal from stickers that would honor the 10th anniversary of the 911 tragedy, to IAFF self-promotional stickers. The County has already placed 911 commemorative stickers on all fire/rescue vehicles.

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• The County will also be rejecting a recommendation that would allow emergency medical technicians to swap work hours with a more qualified paramedic. The County agreed with the Union?s proposal, but requested that implementation of this new type of shift exchange not occur before September 30, 2013, thereby allowing time for additional personnel to qualify. The Magistrate recommended inclusion of a phrase that would allow exchanges earlier than 9/30/13, if the County makes other ?logistical changes?. The County believes the recommended language is too vague and will reject it in favor of the more precise transition date.??

The County reported it has also rejected a 12th hour offer by the Union to bypass the Special Magistrate?s recommendations, since the Union offered no assurance to the County that its members would support any agreement reached by the County and the Union.

Rejection of the Special Magistrates recommendations will allow the County Commission to complete the impasse process in full compliance with the procedures required by Florida Statute, and bring finality to the current round of collective bargaining, even if the fire rescue employees ultimately reject the new Agreement.

The Union?s rejection of the Special Magistrate?s recommendations triggers the start of the ?insulated period? which will end when the County Commission conducts its public hearing. During the insulated period, both the Union and the County Administrator are prohibited from communicating with the members of the County Commission, directly or indirectly, regarding the collective bargaining agreement.

Source: http://landolakes.wtsp.com/news/news/97861-fire-union-rejects-special-magistrate-findings

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