Countywide : Firefighters Plan to File Unfair Labor Practices Charge

Ventura County firefighters threatened to charge the county with unfair labor practices Thursday, saying county representatives refused to allow a tape recorder during contract negotiations and walked out of a negotiation meeting last week.

The county presented 10 ground rules at the beginning of the Dec. 20 negotiation meeting, most of which were accepted by the firefighters’ representatives, said Ken Maffei, president of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters’ Assn.

“We agreed with most of the ground rules, except the one that precluded the use of a tape recorder,” Maffei said.

“We didn’t want to stall negotiations, but we are not going to give up our right to use a tape recorder when and if we decide to make an accurate record of the proceedings.”

County officials refused to comment on the negotiations, including the tape recorder issue.

“As far as we’re concerned, negotiations are still continuing,” said Edward McLean, the county’s assistant personnel director.

Maffei said the county was concerned that a tape recorder would hamper negotiations because the parties would “play to the recorder and not to each other.”

The firefighters disagreed and even offered to allow county representatives custody of the recordings, and to turn the recorder off if county officials wanted to make off-the-record statements, he said.

The firefighters plan to file a formal unfair practices charge with the county Civil Service Commission on Jan. 3, Maffei said.

Maffei said he hasn’t heard anything from the county since they walked out on negotiations.

No future negotiation date has been set, he said.

“I am disappointed that they want to hang it on this one issue,” Maffei said.

“We’re representing almost 400 people who are depending on us to get a fair contract.”

The firefighters’ current contract expires Feb. 1.