Omaha Firefighters Claim City Council Interference Constitutes Bargaining in Bad Faith

Omaha firefighters have accused the city council of bargaining in bad faith, and have filed a complaint with the Nebraska Commission on Industrial Relations.

The Professional Firefighters of Omaha, IAFF Local 385, reached a tentative pact with the city last May that would have run through 2013. However, the city council delayed consideration of the matter, and instead sought to secure additional concessions. When that failed, the council voted down the measure.

The union filed the unfair labor practice complaint last Friday. In a letter to Omaha mayor Jim Suttle,  Local 385 President Steve LeClair accused the council of  the “hijacking of the negotiation process.”

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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