By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
February 5, 2006
A letter warning individual firefighters to cut back on their sick days and an ensuing labor grievance are the latest exchanges between firefighters and First Selectman Jim Lash in an impasse related to reining in overtime spending.
"Excessive sick time leads to excessive overtime," Lash said.
On Dec. 29, firefighters who took 14 or more sick days in the previous 12 months were sent a letter by town Labor Relations Director Al Cava telling them to meet with Fire Chief Sandy Anderson about their excessive sick time, warning that in the future it could result in formal reprimands or termination, Cava said.
"We're letting the employees know we're watching sick leave, and in an instance where we think there is abuse, there may be discipline," Cava said.
In response, the Greenwich Firefighters Local 1042, which represents career firefighters, filed a grievance about the letter with the state labor board two weeks ago, Lt. John Novak, president of the union, said. He declined to comment on the specific complaint.
Novak said he would like to help cut back sick days, but also wouldn't want to deny them to ailing firefighters.
"The language in the contract refers to sick days as earned," said Novak, who has accrued 180 sick days in a 17-year career. "I earn them, doesn't that mean I can use them?"
Cava said town and union leaders disagreed on whether the letter was a form of discipline without due process that violates the firefighters' contract.
"When they read the letter early on they took the position that it was discipline," Cava said. "We believe it was not discipline, but simply information given their sick leave usage."
Late last year town officials asked department and union leaders to work to bring down the average number of sick days taken by firefighters from 14 to nine.
Firefighters work a 24-hour shift every four days, which equals 90 shifts annually. For each 24-hour shift missed, a firefighter is debited two sick days, and their fill-ins are paid time and a half.
"The meeting with the chief is to see if there is anything we can do to help them get to work," Cava said. "If there is anything going on that they need support with we'd like to help them."
Anderson said he did not know what would happen next, but had met with some firefighters about sick days.
"I really can't say what the steps will be," Anderson said. "But we'll rectify the whole situation -- when, I can't say."
Last month the Greenwich Fire Department decided to maintain normal staffing levels at fire stations despite dwindling overtime funds.
At that time there was about $100,000 left for paying overtime for the fiscal year ending July 1.
"We sent notices to firefighters using what appeared to be unusual amounts of sick days," Lash said. "In their contract they pledged to reduce the amount of sick time being used, and that has not been as successful as it should have been."
Novak said an inadequate overtime budget -- not sick days -- is the cause of the problem.
The town earmarked $770,000 in overtime funds for the 2005-06 fiscal year, though it spent $1.2 million for the same purpose the previous year.
In December, union officials complained about safety when administrators cut four firefighters from two shifts, two each from the North Street and Central stations, to conserve overtime funds.
A panel of three Connecticut fire chiefs who reviewed the department's operations in the wake of a December 2003 fire in which three firefighters were seriously injured concluded the department should maintain larger fire crews, either by consolidating firefighters onto fewer engines or hiring more personnel.
North Street and Greenwich fire stations each have one four-man team of firefighters to staff engines, and the Central station has an additional two-man team that also responds to fires with a ladder rescue truck. The town's remaining fire stations -- Cos Cob, Sound Beach, Byram, and Glenville -- have two career firefighters on staff for each 24-hour shift.
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.