BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — A months-long labor dispute was resolved this week when the Bellows Falls Village Trustees reached a settlement with the village’s former firefighters union.
The agreement with the International Association of Firefighters Local 4473 was accepted 4-0 by trustees on Tuesday night, with James McAuliffe absent. The action brought closure to a grievance dating back to the budget controversies five months earlier.
“It’s good to able to resolve this so amicably,” Municipal Manager Shane O’Keefe said.
The dispute began on Sept. 26, 2017, when the trustees — faced with having to reduce $241,196 from the village budget — elected to replace change fire department staffing from full time to on-call volunteers and one full-time chief. The trustees eliminated the positions of four full-time firefighters, effective Dec. 11.
In response, the firefighters filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Vermont Labor Relations Board.
The board was scheduled to hear the case Tuesday but will no longer have to because of the settlement.
Firefighters agreed to withdraw the grievance and refrain from future litigation. In exchange, the village will pay $18,500 each to firefighters John Cenate, Dave Bellimer and Tom Fredriksen. The firefighters were due to receive a first installment of $8,500 immediately, with the remaining $10,000 at start of the fiscal on July 1.
The fourth firefighter, Jonathan Bebey, will be offered reinstatement to a full-time position in lieu of payment next fiscal year.
His new salary has yet to be determined, according to Trustee Debra Wright. The only contractual condition states that the hourly rate for that position must equal or exceed what Bebey was making before his termination.
Bebey, unlike the other firefighters, is still employed by the village, with the water department. Additionally, says Wright, he has continued serving the department as an on-call member.
Since December, the fire department has undergone a transition with a new fire chief, Shaun McGinnis, to relieve Police Chief Ron Lake as the interim department head.
“I am happy that the new fire department, and the community, can move forward,” Wright said.
While anticipating some public criticism, Wright said she wants taxpayers to understand that the cost would have been five to six times higher had they decided to continue onto a labor hearing, with additional attorneys’ fees and heavier monetary awards likely.
Wright also says the village’s payout to firefighters will be budgeted over multiple years.
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