BRENTWOOD 鈥 Firefighters here are suing Brentwood, alleging officials won鈥檛 negotiate a labor contract with their union after more than two years of trying to bargain.
The lawsuit by the International Association of Fire Fighters alleges Brentwood City Manger Bola Akande has refused, since December of 2021, 鈥渢o engage in any meaningful collective bargaining negotiation sessions鈥 as required by state law.
Akande delayed negotiations or only agreed to a handful of one-hour meetings and denied the union鈥檚 proposed contract without providing a counter offer, other than an existing agreement signed in 2015, the lawsuit says.
Brentwood, in a statement on Friday, maintained it is 鈥渃ommitted to fair and productive negotiations.鈥
鈥淭he City has always sought to maintain open lines of communication with union representatives and has and will continue to meet with the Union in an attempt to reach a binding agreement while adhering to the appropriate legal processes,鈥 said Brentwood鈥檚 communications manager, Michelle Boyer, in an email. 鈥淗opefully, the legal process will soon confirm what the city currently believes to be true 鈥 a party鈥檚 thoughtful rejection of a bargaining proposal does not mean that party is not negotiating in good faith.鈥
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The dispute boiled over in recent weeks after the city on Sept. 3 finalized a new pay ordinance for all its employees to remain competitive with 24 St. 亚洲无码 area cities similar in size to Brentwood, with about 8,200 residents, or larger.
The city raised salaries for all employees by an average of 12%.
Top pay for firefighters, when including an adjustment for cost of living, increased from $86,145 to roughly $102,202. The top pay for fire captains rose from $104,803 to $130,438, Boyer said.
But the new pay scale didn鈥檛 take into account firefighters鈥 seniority and firefighters weren鈥檛 consulted on the move, as required during negotiations, IAFF attorney Rick Barry said in an interview Friday. The new pay scale put several senior firefighters on a lower step and extended the number of years of service needed for a person to retire with the maximum pension available, Barry said.
Firefighters packed an Oct. 7 meeting of the Board of Aldermen to criticize the pay scale and warn that many of them would leave the city if it doesn鈥檛 negotiate a new contract and address the issue.
鈥淲e are asking for you all as the board to help protect our future, help protect our firefighters, protect the recruitment and retention of those we keep,鈥 Brentwood firefighter Darren Chaves told aldermen during the meeting.
The IAFF filed suit Oct. 10.