Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Omaha firefighters are taking the city and mayor to court over a proposed budget that they claim will violate their collective bargaining agreement. Mayor Jean Stothert announced her budget yesterday and according to IAFF Local 385 union officials, it will result in apparatus closings, layoffs, and demotions.
Within hours of the mayor’s announcement, suit was filed in Douglas County District Court alleging that the proposed budget will violate the collective bargaining agreement that calls for the city to comply with NFPA 1710.
Less than one year ago the city agreed to meet NFPA 1710 in exchange for major concessions on health care and pensions.
According to the union’s attorney, John Corigan, "If [the city wants] pension changes, and health care concessions, and all of the other things that they wanted in that contract, to get them, [they] had to promise that [they] were going to look out for these guys' safety. And now they want to get out of that, too."
The 11 page complaint seeks temporary and permanent injunctive relief.
Here is a copy of the complaint. Complaint
