City, Firefighters face off in court over arbitration award
The Nutter administration and the city firefighter union faced off in Common Pleas court today over an arbitration award that the union wants implemented and the city says is too costly.
City, Firefighters face off in court over arbitration award
Catherine Lucey
The Nutter administration and the city firefighter union faced off in Common Pleas court today over an arbitration award that the union wants implemented and the city says is too costly.
Before Judge Idee C. Fox, the city’s attorney Shannon Farmer argued that the four-year contract – which runs from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2013 -- would add more than $200 million to the city’s five-year financial plan and that the arbitration panel did not properly consider the city’s ability to pay.
“They’re significant costs,” said Farmer, of the Ballard Spahr law firm, adding that there are no savings in the award to offset the expense.
But the union’s attorney Nan Lassen, of the Williams, Willig and Davidson law firm, said the city is suffering from “sour grapes” and should accept the terms which she said the panel reached after lengthy consideration.
“I keep hearing the voice of our Vice President Joe Biden when he said ‘that’s malarkey,” said Lassen, referring to comments made by Biden in last week’s vice presidential debate. “That is our view.”
This battle has limped along for years. An arbitration award was first issued in late 2010, which the city appealed. In July, an arbitration panel issued another very similar award, which included three years of three percent raises, protection from unpaid furloughs and more funding for health benefits, prompting yet another appeal from the city.
The union argues that this award is very similar to the current police award, which the city chose not to appeal. But Farmer said there were cost-savings in the police contract that included changes to healthcare and the ability to impose unpaid furlough days – though the city has never used that power.
Fox requested additional materials from both sides and is not expected to rule for several more weeks.
In December, bargaining will likely begin on the firefighters’ next contract, whether or not this dispute is resolved.
Judge Idee Fox ruled in favor of the Nutter Administration against DC 33 and 47 over frozen pay steps. Local 22 should not hold their breath and expect her to rule in their favor over this. These judges will all vote in favor of the city administration because they owe their jobs to Don Bob Brady who is loyal to Nutter.— Michael T. Welsh
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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