Petaluma firefighters union, city in arbitration

The future of the employment terms for Petaluma’s firefighters is now in the hands of an independent arbitration panel.|

The future of the employment terms for Petaluma’s firefighters is now in the hands of an independent arbitration panel, a group tasked with resolving an impasse that has developed after several years of contract negotiations between the firefighter’s union and the city.

With an expectation that the panel will issue its ruling within three months, the development is the latest chapter in negotiations between the city and the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 1415. The parties have been in talks since October 2013, according to an announcement last week by the city of Petaluma.

Union representatives told the city in March that they would move to arbitration, according to the announcement. It is the first time an employee organization has requested the process since it was created as an alternative to striking in 1990, since public safety employees are prohibited from going on strike in Petaluma.

The panel will decide on a binding contract, which could be ratified without approval of the Petaluma City Council, according to the city. Three days of hearings wrapped up last Friday.

Ken Dick, president of the Petaluma firefighters union, declined to comment on the negotiations, citing a mandated quiet period that continues through the panel’s deliberation process. City officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The city estimated the union’s proposal would cost $1 million more over a three-year period than Petaluma’s final proposal, according to the announcement. The announcement did not indicate what was behind that estimate, nor the elements of the negotiations that led to the impasse.

The firefighters union is the last bargaining unit left in the city’s recent round of contract negotiations with employees.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)

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