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David Stanley Ford

Oklahoma City fire contract may come to a vote
Oklahoma city councilOfficials on both sides call election a bad idea and pledge to continue negotiations

BY BRYAN DEAN    Comments Comment on this article10
Published: October 26, 2009

A contract showdown between the city and its firefighters looms early next year.

After failed contract negotiations this summer, a panel of arbitrators ruled in the firefighters’ favor last month, giving them a 1 percent raise that would cost the city more than $1 million and could cause layoffs of other employees.

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"My goal is to try to have an amicable relationship with the city. To put the citizens in the middle with a vote is just a bad idea."
 Phil Sipe
International Association of Firefighters Local 157 president


Continuing coverage
To read previous stories on the contract issue between the city and its firefighters, go to Today’s Paper on NewsOK.
newsok.com/burningthroughmoney

The law gives the city only one way to overturn the arbitrators’ decision — a public vote. City council members voted to set a Feb. 9 election and take their case to city voters.

Both sides said they view the prospect of a public vote as a doomsday scenario. City officials said the last thing they want to do is to line up against their own employees in an election.

Phil Sipe, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 157, said the prospect of an election benefits no one.

"We don’t want anything to damage or tarnish our relationship with the citizens,” Sipe said. "We enjoy by far the best approval rating of any department. Do we want to do anything to hurt that? No, we don’t.”

Pay raising tension
City council members approved an agreement Tuesday with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 1,000 of the city’s 4,000 employees. The deal rolls over salaries from last year with no raises.

City officials say that plunging sales tax revenue means there is no money for raises. The deal includes a clause allowing for raises if the city raises salaries for management.

Sipe said firefighters offered a similar deal to the city this summer, forgoing raises if the city agreed to a "me too” clause that would kick in if other employees get raises. The city refused to include such a clause and the firefighters asked for the 1 percent raise in their final offer that went to the arbitrator.

Both sides agree that the relationship between the city and its fire union has slowly deteriorated in the past decade.

"It’s really sad,” Ward 4 Councilman Pete White said. "The relationship has totally broken down. And I think it’s been a slow process. It’s happened inch by inch, but I think we’re there.”

‘We are paying a price’
Over the years, the city has negotiated contracts that council members say they consider generous with the fire union. With a declining economy, the city is left with little room to make further concessions, White said.

"I would not put 100 percent of the blame on the union,” White said. "But however that blame falls, we are paying a price for it. When the city is unable to stay on good terms with people that make as much money and have a good enough situation as our firefighters do, I think something is wrong with this process.”

Mayor Mick Cornett said the city continues to negotiate with the fire union in the hopes that an agreement can be reached before the February election.

"The point of what we are doing now is to make sure we maintain all our options,” Cornett said. "Slower economic times are never easy.”

Sipe said the two sides have continued trading offers and are getting closer to a deal.

"My goal is to try to have an amicable relationship with the city,” Sipe said. "To put the citizens in the middle with a vote is just a bad idea.”

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David Stanley Ford


Related Topics: Politics, Emergency Services, Local Politics


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The point I am making is that the professions are far more complicated than the general public understands. In schools, variance by schools and even dramatically by grades. In firefighting, variance by city or parts of the city, policies, station assignments with the variable workloads, on-call policies, etc. Most are clueless.
Matt1, OKC - Oct 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Well then, by contrast, let's say that the teacher is paid for the daily 8-3:30 required by contract, to be on actual school premises. But the job requirements actually entail much more. A reality is that many are in the classroom by 7:30 and stay until 4:30. And that lunch period (break on paper) is spent with the kids and that daily 30-45 minute planning period on paper translates into an actual 10 minute break from hands on duties with the kids, time enough for a bathroom break and phone call. This doesn't count the additional work done at home at night, weekends and over the summers. All of which don't count towards the actual time spent on the job according to the naysayers.

But they sure seem to have a "nice schedule" and at times, the job is brutal, just in a different manner (like police work can be brutal in a different manner).

Both know what they are getting into when they choose the profession, usually.

If the manpower shortage is as claimed, that is not good. Frankly, a vote that would hopefully bring the process of discovery with resulting complete information to the public eye would be enlightening. Or forget the vote and let this newspaper do a real investigative job and present all the facts and not just a brief summary.
Matt1, OKC - Oct 27, 2009 at 1:48 pm
ff's are only ever paid for 16 of the 24 hrs they are on duty. but are required to be there for the full 24 hrs. overtime comes into play b/c of federal guidelines, but it does not even comes close to compensatinng for the 8 hrs they are not pd for every shift they work. the only ff's getting any time off are the ones close too retirement b/c of their rank, in special ops, in white shirts, or on sick leave. i have several ff friends. their vacation time works on a use or lose it system, several of my friends have lost vacation time b/c they don't have enough manpower to get days off to use the vacation time they accrue. i'm not saying ff's don't make decent wages and seem to work a nice schedule, but they also work a very brutal job. very little of what they do is gravy and donuts. i will always vote for a raise for police and fire. it is very true that the life they save one day may be yours.
- Oct 27, 2009 at 1:17 pm
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Hmmm, this isn't the complete story that appeared in Monday's paper. The beginning part titled "Firefighters, city seek new deal" that appeared on page 1A, isn't included (can see it on the Today's Paper tab, but the story listed is the page 5A story above). A search for that title brought up zero matches. It was a sumation type story but it is still MIA.
Larry, Oklahoma City - Oct 26, 2009 at 10:41 pm
When is a firefighter "not paid for the full 24 hr shift"? Are they forfeiting days off? If so, there must be some sort of compensation taking place. I'd like to see the details of these things.
Matt1, OKC - Oct 26, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I have 5 friends who are OKC FF. They all are within 2-3 years of retirement. All of them abuse their leave and scheduling due to their seniority and soon to be retirement. They spend more time on the golf course or on their second careers than at the station. The reality is the life of a firefighter in OKC is easy and they are well paid for what they do. There is no reason for a wage increase in this economic environment. Firefighters don't want a vote of the people because the people know firefighters are some of the best paid employees in the state.
Mitch, Oklahoma City - Oct 26, 2009 at 7:11 pm
OKC never ceases to amaze me w/ it's constanst "broke" cries. While we have taken a hit, it is b/c oklahomans are mostly being frugal. the 1% raise the ff's are asking for will not amount to much. instead of maps, i would gladly pay for more police and fire protection. i feel they have earned it. the FD is already critically understaffed. God forbid, we have another horrible grass-fire season, May 3rd, or the unthinkable should happen again. i don't think it is fair that ff's don't get paid for a full 24 hr shift. nor is it right that they should have to forfeit their days off to a manpower shortage b/c the city will not ease the burden on any of its city employees. it say down w/ maps and up w/ employees!
- Oct 26, 2009 at 4:53 pm
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Please try to remember you are only getting part of the story. A firefighter told me a week ago that the contract was destined for a vote of the people because the city's arbitration counter-offer was a blatant violation of the arbitration rules. I see they are back at the table with the IAFL now, better that than a vote.

Councilman White is right, the city-fd relationship is quite strained at this point, but there ARE two sides to every story.
Concerned, Central Oklahoma - Oct 26, 2009 at 12:14 pm
If the IAFF pulls their usual media stunts, the City will gladly show the public what firefighters make. With all of the goodies built in their CBA, the public will be shocked to learn how many ff's make way over $50,000 per year. Now if they pull me from my burning home, I'd say they don't make enough and that we should triple their pay. But you've got to draw the line somewhere.
Ed, Oklahoma City - Oct 26, 2009 at 7:24 am
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These stupid union leaders had better turn a hose on themselves and wake up. We are all VERY aware of the 3 day work weeks and $50K+ salaries firefighters receive from our sales taxes - on groceries, no less. We love our firefighters but this is not the year to be angling for more money or more time off.
c, Oklahoma City - Oct 26, 2009 at 7:08 am
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