Firefighter union files complaint
Washington Twp. mayor considers accusations frivolous and political
Friday, April 27, 2007
BY LISA RICH
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- It's no secret that animosity has lingered since the township took over the once-independent fire district, and while both the administration and firefighters hoped the transition would be seamless, it ap pears some problems still need smoothing over.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 3786 filed a complaint earlier this week against the township with the Pub lic Employment Relations Commis sion, citing numerous problems with the administration's bargaining process, changes in procedure and policies and the firing of two employees.
Township officials, however, said while there are always "bumps in the road" when moving forward, the complaint is absurd and a political tactic, as Election Day is less than two weeks away. According to Mayor David Fried, the township has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, a concerning sign considering the allegations the union is listing, he said.
"It seems like these frivolous accusations come out every few months, but this is purely political. This is a union that loves to be political and see its name in the newspaper," Fried said. "Normally, PERC complaints are served to the township, not to the newspapers."
The complaint, filed by IAFF Vice President Keith Kemery, asks for the commission to appoint an arbitrator to oversee contract and schedule negotiations, and for the township to cease "its attempts to coerce and restrain" the employees' rights.
Countering the political motive, Kemery said that Fried -- not the firefighters -- is the one concerned with getting his name in the media.
"For this complaint to be political is interesting, because all Fried had to do was live up to his word, and we would have settled these is sues long before now," Kemery said. "Last time I checked, over the last four months, all you see is Fried in the newspaper talking about how everything is roses."
In the complaint, Kemery additionally asks for the two dismissed employees to be re-instated and compensated for their lost wages.
When the township interviewed the 23 full-time employees shortly after the Local Finance Board approved dissolution in November 2006, one senior captain and a firefighter were not hired back to the department. Because the dismissals were based on personnel issues, administrators couldn't comment on reasons for the firings, other than saying the interviews presented serious concerns about the employees.
Capt. David Horsnall, an 18-year veteran and the most senior member of the force, was one of two employees to get the ax -- a move Kemery said is an obvious threat to the remaining 21 members.
"When you take a captain in the fire department, who is the most senior member, you're communicating to everyone else that no matter what your seniority, the administration will make you go away if they don't like you," Kemery said.
Arguing against re-hiring the two employees, Fried said that one of the dismissed members entered the building after termination and harassed the part-time, non-union members.
"He came in and called them scabs, and yet, I'm expected to want that type of person back?" Fried said. The term "scab" is often used to describe a non-union individual who is employed in place of a union member.
Kemery said if the administration had made the time to meet with the union to negotiate contracts, the recent complaint would have never been necessary.
"They can cry foul by politics all they want, but nothing will ex plain the five months of inaction."
Five months ago, the firefighters' union presented a 60-plus-page proposal for the new contracts, Kemery said. Fried ar gues that last month, the administration returned a counter proposal -- a file that Kemery calls a "two-page summary without any offers."
The takeover didn't officially occur until Jan. 1, 2007, which is when the two employees were officially dismissed. Fried said the administration couldn't counter negotiations until January, and their response in March was not an inappropriate delay.
Contact Lisa Rich at erich@njti mes.com or (609) 989-5723.
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