By Natasha Lee
Staff Writer
September 17, 2007
STAMFORD - The state Labor Board will review off-duty hiring practices at the volunteer Turn of River Fire Department after the city fire union alleged favoritism by fire officials there.
In a complaint filed Tuesday, the Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association says the department violated its labor contract when it hired volunteer and paid firefighters with less seniority and over tenured paid firefighters to monitor the St. Leo Church fair last month.
The church hires off-duty firefighters and police officers to maintain public safety at the fairgrounds. Firefighters are paid $40 an hour for a minimum seven-hour shift, union President Brendan Keatley said.
Fair organizers, union officials and Turn of River officials could not say how many firefighters were hired or how long the hiring contract with the church has existed. The fair marked its 27th year last month.
Because Stamford pays the salaries and benefits of paid firefighters, the complaint was filed against the city.
Turn of River is one of five volunteer fire departments made up of paid and volunteer firefighters that operate separately from the all-paid Stamford Fire & Rescue Department. Under the city Charter, the volunteer departments have their own ways of running their firehouses.
Turn of River's 17 paid firefighters operate under a different labor contract than Stamford Fire & Rescue, but are represented by the same union.
The complaint says the contract's standard for hiring off-duty firefighters requires the department to post a voluntary sign-up sheet. If the list exceeds the number of firefighters needed, the fire chief and executive board pick firefighters based on seniority. If the department is unable to get paid firefighters to fill the shifts, hiring can be opened to volunteer firefighters.
The union claims that, this year, there was no sign-up sheet, and that Chief Frank Jacobellis and members handpicked paid and volunteer firefighters to fill the jobs.
At least six tenured paid firefighters were passed over for the shifts, Keatley said.
The complaint says those paid firefighters were ignored for shifts because they recently quit the Turn of River Paid Driver's Association, a fraternal organization in the department, after disagreements over the handling of the association.
"It is an illegal practice. Essentially, our complaint comes down to you don't like people who don't believe in your volunteer philosophy," Keatley said. "It's OK for volunteers to not show up to calls, but when it comes time for them to make $40 an hour, you select them and pass over members of the bargaining unit."
Turn of River paid firefighters have been without a contract since 2005, but union attorney John Creane said labor law mandates the terms of the contract remain in effect until a new agreement is reached.
"We want to correct what the union believes to be a violation of the parties' prior practices," Creane said.
The contract is in negotiation, Keatley said.
Turn of River attorney Mark Kovack said the claims are false.
"The complaint is entirely bogus. There was no favoritism in hiring. In fact, there was a shortage in men to sign up for the fair," Kovack said. "Turn of River was actively soliciting people to sign up."
A state labor board agent will be assigned within a month to investigate the complaint and will meet with the city and union, Creane said. The agent will determine whether the state labor board should schedule a hearing. Discussions could take a month.
Dennis Murphy, director of the city Human Resources Department, said he received the complaint Thursday and will review it. The department investigates complaints of discrimination against employees, he said.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.