City
of
And
International
Association of Fire Fighters, Local 2444 “IAFF” or “The
Interest
Arbitration
Arbitrator: John H. Abernathy
Date
Issued:
Arbitrator: Abernathy;
John H.
Case #: 11665-I-95-00248
Employer:
City of
Date Issued:
IN THE MATTER OF THE )
INTEREST ARBITRATION PANEL'S
INTEREST ARBITRATION ) OPINION
BETWEEN )
AND
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF )
AWARD
FIRE FIGHTERS, LOCAL 2444 ) FOR THE
ISSUES OF
"IAFF" OR "THE
AND )
CAPTAIN'S DIFFERENTIAL
)
FOR EACH YEAR OF A
)
COMMENCING
"THE CITY" OR "THE
EMPLOYER" )
ENDING
HEARING SITE: City Hall
Camas,
HEARING DATES: February 21 and
22, 1996
BOARD MEMBERS:
City Appointed
Neutral Chairman Board Member Board Member
John H. Abernathy Lloyd
Neutral Arbitrator City Administrator President,
Washington
City of
Fire
Fighters
APPEARING FOR THE FIRE
FIGHTERS:
Jim Hill, Spokesperson, IAFF Local 2444
Vice President,
7th District, IAFF
Don Fulthorp, Treasurer, Local
2444
Randy Miller
Allen Wolk, President, Local
2444
APPEARING FOR THE CITY:
Howard Strickler,
Management Consultant
Sandra G. Brown
David Artz
Dean Dossett,
Mayor of Camas
EXHIBITS
Joint
1. 1992-94 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of
Camas and IAFF Local 2444
2. Job Description for Fire Fighter
3. Job Description for Fire Fighter/Paramedic
4. Job Description for Fire Captain
5. Job Description for Paramedic Captain
1. Handout and video
2. Map of Camas,
3. Newspaper articles regarding growth in Camas
area
4. Newspaper articles regarding growth in Camas
area
5.
6. What has Mayor Dossett
Accomplished? (political pamphlet)
7.
8. Fire and
9. Ambulance response history
10. Ambulance response history by District, 1995-96
11. 1989-91 Agreement between Local 2444 and City of
12. Assessed valuation of total
13. Assessed valuation and tax revenue' of total
District
14. Fees collected for
15. Comparison of population served for
Union comparables
16. Budget analysis of budget of City of
17. Union comparison of assessed valuation
18. Total compensation/net hours of Union comparison for fire
fighters (with, 10 years
service)
19. Total compensation/net hours of Union comparison for fire
fighter paramedics (with 10
years service)
20. Total compensation/net hours of Union comparison for fire
captains (with 10 years
experience)
21. City of
22. 1994 comparison 7-year fire fighter - City's comparables',
23. 1994 comparison 7-year fire fighter/paramedic - City's
comparables, February 17, 1996
24.
by assessed valuation +50% of
Camas
25. Nine collective bargaining agreements for the fire fighters
with:
(A)
(B)
(C) Olympia 1993-95
(D) Snohomish
#7 1994-96
(E) Port
Angeles 1994-95
(F)
(G)
(H)
(I) Kitsap
Fire District #7 1996
City
1. March 29, 1995 letter from Marvin Schurke,
Executive
Director, PERC, certifying four issues for interest
arbitration (wages, health care,
Captain's differential and
post-retirement insurance)
2
. City's
letter to arbitrator stating City's position on each
issue,
3. Excerpts from City's budget relating to Fire Department,
City of
4. Statement of Honorable Dean E. Dossett,
Mayor of Camas
5. January 29, 1996 memo from David Artz
to Howard Strickler,
re: Ambulance Service Area (ASA)
population
6. January 22, 1996 memo from Ken Pearrow,
GIS Demographics to
Lloyd Halverson, re: population estimates for Camas
District
7. List of IAFF Bargaining Unit Employees
8. City of
geographical location,
Brown, Personnel Specialist
9. Camas Fire employee terminations, November 1990 - December
31, 1995 prepared by Chief
10. All emergency calls 1990-1995 by totals for Ambulance
Service Area and Camas only
11. Fire and EMS emergency calls 1990-1995 by Camas Fire calls,
Camas
12. Statement of City's negotiator Howard Strickler
13. CPI data, US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1975-1995 by months and annual average
14. 1995
Management, Population Forecasting Division, population,
15. Not used
16. The City's methodology for the selection of comparables
17. Master List,
populations served for fire
suppression
18. Master List, all
Protecting 1995 Population for fire suppression between
10,945 and 30,284
19.
Advanced Life Support (ALS) serving populations for fire
suppression between 10,945 and
30,284
20. Master list, all
protecting 1995 populations for
fire suppression between
10,945 and 30,284 (Camas assessed valuation +50% of
actual
$808, 810, 762 is $404, 405, 381 to $1,213,216,143)
21. 1995 populations and assessed valuations protected for fire
suppression (EMS/ALS and transport)
+50% of Camas's assessed
Evaluation
22. City's position on Issues 1 and 3, Wages and Captain's
Differential
23. Letter from Carol J. Wilnes,
Employee Benefits Specialist,
Association of Washington Counties, dated
to Larry Halverson, City of
Trust medical program rate increases compared to
marketplace
trends, 1990-1996
24. Benchmark Position: Fire fighter - by name, hire date and
years of service
25. 1995 Comparisons of 7-year fire fighter compensation
comparisons in descending order
by net hourly ate for Port
Angeles, Kitsap 15,
Pierce 16,
26. Benchmark Position:
Fire fighter/paramedic, by name, hire
date, years of service
27. 1995 comparisons., 7-year fire fighter/paramedic compensation
comparisons by net hourly rate
for same districts specified
in C-25
28. Benchmark Position:
Captain, by name, hire date and years
of service
29. 1995 comparisons, 15-year first line supervisors, same
districts as in C-25
30. Differentials for first line supervisors
31. 1995 fire fighter compensation at 7 years of service for
fire departments providing
fire/EMS and ALS service, 10,000
to 30,00.0 population. Note figures for City of
District do include 3% increase for 1995
32. 1995 comparisons, 7-year fire fighter/paramedic salary
comparison
33. Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, state of
and
34. Uses of COLA clauses in southwestern Washington, various
bargaining units
35. American Chamberof Commerce Research
Association (ACORA)
cost of living index, second
quarter 1995 for
(108.0) and Seattle/Bellevue/Everett (120.3)
36. February 15, 1996 letter from Lawrence P. Daniels, Survey
Manager/Compensation Consultant, Milliman
& Robertson, Inc.,
Actuaries and Consultants to Lloyd Halverson, City
Administrator, City of
differentials between
37. Historical Comparison of Top Step Fire fighter Wage vs.
38. BNA Special Report of
Senate Finance Committee's Advisory Commission to Study
the
Consumer Price Index along with copy of the Commission's
report
39. History of Wage Adjustments, City of Camas, 1980-1995
40. Survey of
non-represented employees
employed by
PUD, Camas School District, James River Corporation and
City
of
41. Top Step Fire Fighter Base Wage Summary of Local Fire
Jurisdictions, 1994-96 for Camas Fire Department,
Washougal
Fire Department, Clark Fire District #6, Clark Fire
District
#3, Clark Fire District #11, and
42. Collective bargaining agreement for fire departments
selected by the City as
comparables and selected others
(A)
(B) Anacortes
Fire Department/IAFF 1537
(C) Cowlitz 2
Fire and Rescue/Teamsters 58
(K) Kitsap
County Fire District 15/IAFF 2819
(P) City of
(Q) City of
(R) Pierce
County Fire Protection District 16/IAFF 3152
(1995-97)
(T) Snohomish
County Fire Protection District 3/IAFF 3315
(1995-1997)
(U) City of
Tumwater/IAFF 2409 (1994-95)
(V) The City
of
(W) The City of
(X) The City
of
97)
(Y) The City
of
(1995-97)
43. Award of Interest Arbitrator John H. Abernathy, 1980, City
of
44. Award of Interest Arbitrator John H. Abernathy, 1981, City
of
45. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1983, City of
Bothell v. IAFF Local 2099
46. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1983, City of
47. Award of Interest Arbitrator Alan R. Krebs, 1984, City of
48. Award of Interest Arbitrator Tom Levak,
1985, City of
Tukwila v. IAFF Local 2088
49. Award of Interest Arbitrator Alan R. Krebs, 1986, Snohomish
County v. Teamsters Local 763
50. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1987,
County v. Teamsters Local 763
51. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1988, King
County Fire District #16 v. IAFF Local 2459
52. Award of Interest Arbitrator Tom Levak,
1990, City of
v.
53. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1991, City of
54. Award of Interest Arbitrator Michael H. Beck, 1994, City of
BACKGROUND
The City of Camas,
Association of Firefighters, Local No. 2444 (IAFF)
have been
parties
to several previous collective bargaining agreements, the
latest
being the 1992-94 agreement (Joint
Exhibit 1) . Failed
attempts to negotiate
a successor to the 1992-94
agreement
resulted
in this interest arbitration.
The City of
approximately
twelve miles east of
the