Arbitrator: IL Firefighters Can Return to 48-Hour Shifts
Source Firehouse.com News
An arbitrator has sided with Illinois firefighters, ruling that they should return to their former 48-hour shifts.
When Ottawa firefighters go back to their preferred work schedules, they will do so with new safety measures, including a limit of no more than 72 hours on a shift after overtime, The Ottawa Times reports. The new safety provisions were part of an "amicable resolution" Ottawa Firefighters, Local 523, and the city worked out following the arbitrator's decision.
The arbitration began when the union filed a grievance against the city in December after firefighters' work shifts were changed from 48 hours with 96 hours off to 24 hours with 48 hours off. The change was non-negotiated, but the mayor at the time argued that a change to 24-hour shifts was allowed if the fire chief deemed safety was a factor in the longer work schedules.
In a closed door late last year, the Ottawa City Council rejected a grievance over the shift change filed by the firefighters union. City officials, including Fire Chief Andy Borkowski, cited safety concerns over rejecting the grievance at the time.
