Council rejects finding of facts from police, fire unions
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
After spending nearly an hour in executive session, the Hillsboro City Council voted against accepting a finding of fact report negotiations with the unions for the city's fire and police departments.
When council voted to enter back into executive session, held during Monday's regular council meeting to discuss "personnel and security," council president Lee Koogler opened the floor for discussion on the findings.
"Council has been apprised of those findings," Koogler said.
Assistant Hillsboro Law Director Kathryn Hapner, who is handling the matter for the city, met with council and Law Director Fred Beery in executive session.
Council did not discuss the matter or indicate what were in the findings.
Council member Bill Alexander made a motion that council accept findings for both the local chapters of the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Firefighters.
Koogler asked if there was a second, and there was not, so the motion died.
Council member Peter Pence made a motion that council reject the findings, which was seconded by Council member Dave Shoemaker.
Alexander and Council member Mary Brown Turner voted against rejecting the findings, while Pence, Shoemaker, Rod Daniels, Bonnie Parr and Brian Waller voted for reject them.
The meeting was then adjourned.
When Pence was asked by The Highland County Press to explain why he chose to reject the findings, he said, "I didn't agree with it."
Following the meeting Hapner told The Highland County Press that the matter could now proceed to "conciliation," which is a step before binding arbitration.
The conciliator, Hapner said, could be the same person as the arbitrator, depending on who is assigned, but "the conciliator will try to get us to come to an understanding, and can basically shove an issue down either party's throats."
Hapner said that means the conciliator will look at the issue and try to make one side accept the position of the other side.
"There are a number of things that could happen before arbitration," she said.
In November, council voted 7-0 to extend contract negotiations with the FOP and IAFF.
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt said said in November that when the FOP and IAFF contracts were up in 2009 they were extended for 2010 with no increases. He said that he could not immediately recall the last time there were negotiated wages increases from the unions. When asked if they were asking for wages increases now Holt said he could not answer, as the negotiations are ongoing.
"I got a request from the FOP and the fire unions to extend negotiations," Holt said in November. "Their contracts are up - the fire is up Dec. 31 and the FOP, this is an opening for insurance and wages, they (also) requested an extension also through Dec. 31, so we can negotiate past that point."
Holt said that 45 days prior to when a contract is due an extension may be requested, and that had been done by both unions.
Holt said in November he thought the issues could be worked out by the first of the year, but that extending the negotiations was necessary, "with the issues we've had with insurance and what we need to do, because we're working with two different entities here and trying to negotiate with them both at the same time is kind of difficult."
After spending nearly an hour in executive session, the Hillsboro City Council voted against accepting a finding of fact report negotiations with the unions for the city's fire and police departments.
When council voted to enter back into executive session, held during Monday's regular council meeting to discuss "personnel and security," council president Lee Koogler opened the floor for discussion on the findings.
"Council has been apprised of those findings," Koogler said.
Assistant Hillsboro Law Director Kathryn Hapner, who is handling the matter for the city, met with council and Law Director Fred Beery in executive session.
Council did not discuss the matter or indicate what were in the findings.
Council member Bill Alexander made a motion that council accept findings for both the local chapters of the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Firefighters.
Koogler asked if there was a second, and there was not, so the motion died.
Council member Peter Pence made a motion that council reject the findings, which was seconded by Council member Dave Shoemaker.
Alexander and Council member Mary Brown Turner voted against rejecting the findings, while Pence, Shoemaker, Rod Daniels, Bonnie Parr and Brian Waller voted for rejecting them.
The meeting was then adjourned.
When Pence was asked by The Highland County Press to explain why he chose to reject the findings, he said, "I didn't agree with it."
Following the meeting, Hapner told The Highland County Press that the matter could now proceed to "conciliation," which is a step before binding arbitration.
The conciliator, Hapner said, could be the same person as the arbitrator, depending on who is assigned, but "the conciliator will try to get us to come to an understanding and can basically shove an issue down either party's throats."
Hapner said that means the conciliator will look at the issue and try to make one side accept the position of the other side.
"There are a number of things that could happen before arbitration," she said.
In November, council voted 7-0 to extend contract negotiations with the FOP and IAFF.
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt said in November that when the FOP and IAFF contracts were up in 2009 they were extended for 2010 with no increases. He said that he could not immediately recall the last time there were negotiated wage increases from the unions. When asked if they were asking for wage increases now, Holt said he could not answer, as the negotiations are ongoing.
"I got a request from the FOP and the fire unions to extend negotiations," Holt said in November. "Their contracts are up - the fire is up Dec. 31 and the FOP, this is an opening for insurance and wages, they (also) requested an extension also through Dec. 31, so we can negotiate past that point."
Holt said that 45 days prior to when a contract is due an extension may be requested, and that had been done by both unions.
Holt said in November he thought the issues could be worked out by the first of the year, but that extending the negotiations was necessary, "with the issues we've had with insurance and what we need to do because we're working with two different entities here, and trying to negotiate with them both at the same time is kind of difficult."
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