Firefighters Fume in Pay Fight

Morale among Oxnard firefighters, already low because of 14 months of unsuccessful contract negotiations, took another blow this week when the City Council rejected a new contract proposal, officials of the firefighters union said Friday.

“We said before that morale is at an all-time low,” Bill Gallaher, president of the union, said. “Well, it’s now lower than that.” Further negotiations have not been scheduled, Gallaher said.

But union officials said the contract dispute is not the only source of discontent. Over the last few months, they said, morale among the department’s 36 firefighters has taken a series of blows.

In June, a budget crisis threatened to reduce the force by 15%. That same month Councilwoman Ann Johs suggested that the city eliminate the department and contract with the county for fire services. Two months ago, the city tore down a fire station on A Street to make way for a new library and has yet to open a new station.

Fire Chief Richard Smith said he sympathizes with the firefighters but believes the morale problem has not affected firefighters’ performance.

“I realize they are not happy with the state of negotiations,” he said, adding that it is common to have disgruntled employees during contract disputes. “That’s part of the process.”

During a closed-door session Tuesday, the City Council rejected a contract proposal by the International Assn. of Firefighters Local 1684, said City Atty. Gary L. Gillig, who along with other city officials declined to discuss the terms of the contract.

Gallaher said both sides have agreed on a salary structure similar to one in a two-year contract approved in July by another city employees union. That contract called for a 9.3% salary increase over the next two years, city officials said.

However, Gallaher said, negotiations deadlocked because firefighters want a clause that requires the city to increase pay when they temporarily fill in for an ill or vacationing fire engineer or captain.

“We just want comparable pay for comparable work,” Gallaher said.

Annual salaries of Oxnard firefighters range from $28,572 to $34,872, according to city officials. Annual salaries for engineers range from $32,556 to $39,732, while captains earn between $37,908 and $46,260, city officials said.

The city has offered to include such a stipulation, but only if firefighters eliminate from the contract a clause that allows those with the most seniority to bid for vacant slots within the department, Gallaher said.

Gallaher accused the department’s administration of wanting the clause removed so it can punish longtime union representatives by moving them to unpopular posts.

Smith declined to discuss details of the contract negotiations but said the department is working to improve the city’s fire services and address other matters of concern to firefighters.

Next month, for example, the department will open a new five-story training tower and a new fire station to replace the one that was demolished on A Street, he said. Smith also said the department recently trained 21 firefighters to serve on a hazardous materials control team.

“Granted, we don’t have every problem in the world solved, but we are working on it,” he said.

Still, firefighters say a number of recent episodes demonstrate that they have lost the support of City Council members.

Former City Manager David Mora proposed in May that the city save $343,500 by eliminating two emergency rescue squads and eight firefighters. The council later rejected the proposed cuts but not before Johs suggested that the city consider eliminating the Fire Department entirely and contracting with the county Fire Protection District for fire services.

A council majority voted down the idea, saying the city needed to review a long-awaited management audit before launching another study.

In an interview Friday, Mayor Nao Takasugi said Johs’ proposal “should not have been taken as indicative of the entire council.” He added that he hopes the contract dispute can be settled soon. “I would hate to go another year without a contract,” he said.

To Rod Thorp, a fire engineer, the city’s decision to demolish the fire station on A Street before building a replacement station indicates that fire services are not the highest priority.

“How many people is a library going to save?” he asked.