Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

City, fire union leaders need to put end to feud

By DIANE STEINLE
Published July 13, 2006

Now there is a formal finding of wrongdoing on the city side of a long-running feud between Clearwater city government and the union local that represents city firefighters.

Last October, union Local 1158, International Association of Fire Fighters, accused city officials of committing unfair labor practices. A hearing officer who heard the case on behalf of the state Public Employees Relations Commission has ruled that the city illegally threatened and interfered with union members.

The union's case centered on e-mails that City Manager Bill Horne and fire Chief Jamie Geer wrote last September as the union was conducting a no-confidence vote on the chief.

Horne wrote an e-mail to union leaders that stated in part, "The scheduled vote of no confidence on Chief Geer, regardless of the outcome, will generate unintended consequences for your IAFF Local 1158 members ... I hope that you and your board are prepared to accept the internal and public unintended consequences that are sure to come during and after the vote."

Geer e-mailed all fire employees, including union president John Lee, executive vice president Jim Carino and secretary/treasurer Dave Hogan, saying, "I have believed all along that Lee, Carino and Hogan would commit one last desperate act. ... I will use every means at my disposal to finally hold these firefighters accountable. We cannot advance to the next level until we cleanse our organization of the disgraceful and incompetent behavior of these representatives."

The three union leaders believed the e-mails contained threats to fire them.

There was a third city official, Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Strong, who the union leaders also accused of threatening them, this time with a lawsuit. Strong objected to union leaders' comments questioning his physical ability to do his job.

The hearing officer concluded that Geer, Horne and Strong unlawfully threatened union members who were engaged in lawful union activities, and he ordered the city to pay their legal fees. The city has filed an exception to the award of legal fees, but is not contesting the hearing officer's ruling otherwise.

Horne, especially, with his background in the employee relations field, should have foreseen the problems that his e-mail message would cause and avoided hitting the "send" button.

Geer no doubt has found it frustrating to try to implement much-needed improvements in the department while the union has fought him every step of the way. Yet Geer played right into the union's hands by writing e-mails that any reasonable person would regard as unveiled threats against the job security of union leaders who opposed him.

The hearing officer's 32-page ruling recites a litany of allegations, grievances and complaints each side has made against the other in this tiresome feud. Both firefighters and the city have been guilty of wrongdoing at various times in the past, and both sides have been appropriately slapped for it. Now, will a leader from each side please step forward and end this?

[Last modified July 13, 2006, 00:12:08]