Did the Austin firefighters overplay their hand?
Deep Dives
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Collective bargaining
13 min read
The entire article centers on a dispute arising from the collective bargaining process between the city and firefighters union. Understanding the legal framework, history, and dynamics of collective bargaining would help readers grasp why bypassing this process is considered a serious breach.
This morning one of the city's labor negotiators accused the Austin Firefighters Association of deceiving the city during the collective bargaining process and recommended that City Council delay approval of a previously negotiated tentative contract the union.
Shortly after agreeing to the tentative contract, the union announced a campaign to put a charter amendment (scroll down to read it) on the ballot next May that, if approved, would commit the city to staffing levels that were not agreed to in contract negotiations.
The potential charter amendment undermines the financial security that the collective bargaining process is supposed to ensure, said Deputy Labor Relations Officer Roxana Stevens.
"If the AFA had an issue with the staffing, we believe they should have brought it to the table," said Stevens. "They have bypassed the collective bargaining process."
Damn.
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