Ogdensburg firefighters union files PERB charge over shift staffing levels

A staffing dispute between the City of Ogdensburg and its professional firefighters is now before the New York State Public Employment Relations Board.

The Ogdensburg Professional Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 1799, has filed an improper practice charge alleging the city is running shifts with fewer than five firefighters on duty. The union says Article 18 of the expired collective bargaining agreement set a five-person minimum per shift, made up of either four firefighters and one officer or three firefighters and two officers.

City officials say the staffing and scheduling language ended when the prior contract expired and is no longer binding. City Manager Fonda Chronis said the change is expected to reduce overtime and related personnel costs by more than $200,000 a year. The city has said the adjustment will not cut firefighter positions, close stations or take apparatus out of service.

Six firefighters are now assigned to each shift, down from the seven or eight assigned when the staffing language was negotiated, according to the city. Under the old terms, two firefighters could take vacation on the same shift while the city still had to keep five on duty, which the city says often required overtime. The city proposed limiting vacation to one firefighter per shift, but the two sides did not reach agreement. Because this year's vacation schedules were already set, the city says some shifts may operate with four firefighters.

The union argues staffing below five raises risks for firefighters and residents, including slower response times and delays in interior firefighting operations. Local 1799 is asking PERB to find an improper practice, order the city to stop staffing below the disputed minimum and grant make-whole relief for affected members.

A similar dispute during the tenure of former Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly led to about two years of litigation and more than $519,000 in back pay after an arbitrator found the city had violated the contract by staffing below the minimum. The city and the union are still negotiating a new agreement.