Arbitrators to enter firefighters contract talks
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Firefighters protest outside of the Democratic National Convention last summer over their still unsettled contract. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
After working four years without a contract, the Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 appears headed for a resolution this spring with the help of an arbitrator.
Why it matters: Chicago needs firefighters, but the situation is super complicated.
State of play: We've got a proudly pro-labor mayor negotiating with a union of revered professionals, but professionals who are seeing fewer calls for fire emergencies while calls for medical assistance have soared.
- Throw in the fact that Local 2 is not allowed to strike and it also represents paramedics (who work out of firehouses), and you've got yourself a Gordian knot.
The latest: A process called "interest arbitration" starts Wednesday, when a third party will bring the two sides together to "try to find middle ground on unsolved issues," the Sun-Times reports.
- If they can't agree, each side will present its best offer and the arbitrator will decide.
Zoom in: One of the biggest issues is a union call to reduce the number of daily "variances" that allow engines to operate with four rather than five staffers from 35 to 30. The city wants to double the variances.
- Local 2 also wants standard annual equipment purchases and 20 more ambulances to add to a busy fleet of 80.
Between the lines: With medical calls outnumbering fire calls 3 to 1 due to better fire safety, among other things, everyone agrees the Fire Department needs more ambulances. The question is whether they should be secured at the expense of firefighting resources.
- Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared to think they should after reading a 2022 report that recommended shifting staff from fire engines to ambulances, per the Tribune. But then she lost reelection.
- Despite initial reluctance, Mayor Brandon Johnson seems to have come to the same conclusion.
What he's saying: "There's a greater need for ambulatory care than there is for traditional fire trucks," Johnson told the Sun-Times/WBEZ last week, noting that our infrastructure is "not as nimble and flexible as it needs to be."
The other side: "Understaffing and overworking firefighters or paramedics leads to increased injuries and deaths," Local 2 president Pat Cleary tells Axios.
- "If the city can find the money to hire 800 additional CPS employees, they can find the money to keep our members safe. CFD employees should not be expected to sacrifice their lives. Their families should expect them to return home after their shift."
What's next: Arbitration starts next week.