St. Charles firefighters union answers city criticism

St. Charles blew a chance to save money with the cooperation of the firefighters by asking for more than the city has admitted to in public, according to the firefighter's union. City officials said that's not true.

Tim Petersen, president of the firefighter's union, said Wednesday that firefighters were on board with a wage freeze, but were presented with more concessions in an all-or-nothing move that would've impacted their jobs and their entire contract.

"The union has always been agreeable to foregoing the 3.75 percent raise," Petersen said in a news release and in a follow-up e-mail interview. "Unfortunately, like the car dealer who wants to add on stuff after you've picked out your car, the city wanted more. We couldn't just accept part of the deal. It was all or nothing. So we went from helping the city cope with an economic downturn to conceding some important points of our contract. This, the union was not agreeable to."

Asked what else the city asked the firefighters to give up, Petersen said it involved using part-time employees as replacements for full-time members. Also, the way the city wanted the wage freeze to work would've rippled through the remaining years of the contract, leaving no provision to catch up for the lost pay until after the contract expires.

The firefighters just signed a new, four-year contract in June 2008. The Teamsters, who represent the city's public works employees and agreed to the wage freeze, are in the final year of their contract, making it easier for them to agree to the wage freeze with a new deal on the way.

City Administrator Brian Townsend said firefighters were given two options on March 25. One option was a straight, one-year wage freeze in trade for no layoffs. The second option was a one-year wage freeze and no layoffs, but their current contract would be extended for one year with a 3.75 percent raise in that additional year, and a deferral of the phasing-out of paid on-call personnel.

Townsend said the fire union wants to get rid of the part-time, on-call staff because they believe it will force the city to hire more full-timers.

"That will not be the case because the city does not have the money to hire more full-time staff," Townsend said. "They did have the option for a straight wage freeze. They did not respond to that offer."