City May Move to End Fire Contract Impasse

After nearly two years of trying to resolve a contract dispute between the city and the Huntington Beach Firefighter’s Assn., the City Council on Monday will consider imposing a unilateral action to end the impasse.

The City Council is set to adopt recommendations from an arbitrator, handed down a year ago, which include the following provisions:

* Ending the state Public Employees’ Retirement System rollover benefit, also known as pension-spiking, retroactive to Jan. 31, 1994. The benefit allows employees to convert certain benefits to increase final compensation, on which a pension is based.

* Paying employees who use their bilingual abilities on the job an extra 5% over their regular salary.

* Maintaining the city’s current policy that employees must work for the Fire Department a minimum of three years before being eligible for a program that pays extra money to those who further their education.

* Maintaining the current method of handling grievances according to the city’s personnel rules.

* Increasing the city’s contribution to employees’ health and optical benefits.

The council’s proposed unilateral action covers the period of Sept. 30, 1993 to Sept. 30, 1994. The city and firefighters’ union met from June 1993 to July 1994 but failed to reach agreement on some contract issues. An impasse was declared July 10, 1994.

An arbitrator then heard the case and issued a decision in February 1995. Since then, the two parties have been unable to agree to implement those recommendations, city officials said.