Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Firefighters in Sheridan, Wyoming have lost their bid to receive step increases in their pay. IAFF Local 276 filed suit last year after the city council refused grant six firefighters step increases that the union claims had been honored for the past 30 years. The raises were worth roughly $6,600, which city officials claimed they could not afford.
On March 16, 2012, District Court Judge John Fenn granted the city’s motion for summary judgment ruling that the collective bargaining agreement contained no provision that required the step increases. The union’s remaining option is the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Incidentally, out of over 3,800 lawsuits in my fire service litigation database… there are only 9 suits from the State of Wyoming. To put that in perspective, Pennsylvania has 263 cases, California 223, and even Montana has 35. That makes any fire service case from Wyoming noteworthy!!!
