Sept. 25 -- JANESVILLE, WI -- A contract dispute between the city and the Janesville firefighters union spilled into the public in recent days.
The problem appears to go back to March, when the city apparently tried to stop firefighters from washing personal cars on city time.
The Janesville Professional Firefighters Association filed a grievance, saying the practice is allowed under the contract, said union President Jason Daskam.
As part of its response, the union pointed out the city manager and assistant city manager park in the City Hall garage, Daskam said.
The union, also known as Local 580, issued a news release Friday saying the city wanted to increase members’ health-insurance premiums by 400 percent in retaliation for the union filing the grievance.
The dispute is headed for mediation Thursday, Oct. 4, according to the city.
The city rejected the union’s interpretation of events in its own statement Monday.
The city also disputed the 400 percent figure, saying the proposed monthly premium increases are $11 for single plans and $15 for family plans, or 8 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
Daskam acknowledged those figures Monday but said the insurance proposal also raises out-of-pocket expenses 400 percent and deductibles nearly 200 percent.
City officials were not available to comment after releasing their statement late Monday.
The union claimed a violation of state statutes because of what it sees as retaliation by the city and filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, according to its release.
“The fundamental issue in this bargain is one of fairness to our taxpayers,” the city said in its statement. “There are a number of practices in the fire department … the city believes are not fair and seeks to change.
“For example, is it fair that firefighters do not have to perform any non-emergency job duties while being paid their normal salary on Saturday afternoons, Sundays, and holidays?”
Daskam said that’s a longtime benefit for which firefighters bargained. He said when he started with the department 14 years ago, firefighters were answering 5,000 calls a year, and now it’s approaching 11,000.
“The city doesn’t understand how fire departments work, and they want us to do more with less without giving us the personnel to accomplish that,” Daskam added.
“Is it fair that during the state high school basketball tournament, on-duty firefighters must be allowed to watch the games on television during their workday?” the city wrote.
Daskam said the union was willing to give up this benefit in exchange for something.
“Is it fair that on-duty firefighters can wash their personal vehicles inside the fire station using water and other supplies paid for by taxpayers?” the city wrote.
Daskam said firefighters do use water, paper towels and glass cleaner, but they bring their own soap, wax and other materials.
‘It’s not really about car washing. It’s about them breaking our contract,” Daskam said.
“Is it fair that the fire union can block any changes to the practices in the fire department simply by claiming the change violates a clause in the contract that prevents changes to ‘personal amenities’?
“Is it fair that whenever the department has asked the fire union to identify what those ‘personal amenities’ are, the union refuses to give a list, leaving the fire chief in the dark about what changes he can or cannot make?” the city wrote.
Daskam said union bargainers did not want to make a list because if they missed anything, they would lose it. They asked the city to name the practices it had problems with, but city bargainers would not, he said.
“The management team believes these operational practices must be changed,” the city continues. “... When the city proposed these changes, the union leadership said they did not want to be treated the same as other city of Janesville employees. Rather, they said they wanted what other fire departments have. In response, the city surveyed the health insurance plans provided in 15 Wisconsin cities roughly our size and computed an average of those benefits ...That average is what the city plans to provide to our firefighters.”
Daskam said he wants to know what 15 departments were surveyed because in the past only 12 departments were deemed comparable to Janesville.
“The city believes (its) response is both fair and measured, and is not intended to be punitive,” the city continued. “We hope the process will help educate Local 580 about just how valuable their current plan is. It remains to be seen what direction the fire union leadership will take now that they can see that being treated like outside fire departments in all respects may result in the loss of a very generous health plan.”
The city says it supports the firefighters and the department, noting in the past five years the city has built the Central Fire Station, bought three new engines and five new ambulances, and added three firefighter/paramedic positions.
“It’s pretty obvious that the city is willing to use our health insurance as the ultimate bargaining tool that they’re going to hold over our head for every little issue,” Daskam said.
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