Countywide : Hearing Planned on Firefighters’ Charges

The Ventura County Civil Service Commission will conduct a public hearing this month on county firefighters’ charges of unfair labor practices, officials said.

The charges, which were filed in December, stem from unsuccessful contract negotiations between the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Assn. and county representatives. The association contends that the county failed to negotiate in good faith and refused to allow a tape recorder during negotiations, said association President Ken Maffei.

The association’s lawyer, Stephen Silver, said he will subpoena all of the members of the Board of Supervisors and other county officials involved in the contract negotiations.

The county’s contract with the association has expired. Maffei said the supervisors’ resolution in August that mandated that county employees not receive salary increases before July 1, 1992, shows that the county had no intention of negotiating in good faith.

Smith declined to comment on the charge of failing to negotiate in good faith. The commission will investigate the charges and make a binding decision, Smith said.