Fire Board Will Vote On Union Contract Tuesday

When a member of the public addressed the Spring Hill fire board Wednesday clutching a copy of the proposed labor agreement, the chairman wanted to know how it wound up in his hands.

Ken Fagan would not tell him.

Chairman Charles Raborn asked the district's attorney, Andrew Salzman to look into it.

"It offends me with the economy being what it is," said Fagan, who criticized the district's perceived secrecy in regard to the labor agreement. "The public's entitled to know about it."

Raborn wanted the board to vote on it and approve it Wednesday. Salzman advised him to wait.

Instead, a public meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The labor contact typically is good for three years. Last year, the Local Union 2794 agreed to revisit the salaries and health benefits portions of the contract each year because of the "uncertainty of the economy," said union president Troy Hagar.

"It's all very streamlined," Hagar continued. "There are very few changes. The insurance rates stayed the same."

The proposed agreement includes pay raises of 3 percent. Last year, it was 3.5 percent, down from the typical 5 percent.

Some critics have pointed to the 5 percent increases for some firefighters, but that only applies to those who earn promotions, Hagar said.

No such promotions have been planned.

As for some of the public's complaints, Hagar and others in the district were taken by surprise.

"We've never been confronted with this before," he said of Fagan's claims of secrecy. Interim Chief Mike Rampino, who was the point man for the district during the negotiations, agreed.

Whenever negotiations for a new contract begin, the union presents its "wish list" to the representatives of the fire board. They present the list to the commissioners, who then make a counter offer.

From that point on, a series of negotiations is scheduled. All of those meetings are open to the public. Audience input is not allowed during those meetings, but they are allowed to attend and listen, Hagar said.

The district is required to publish announcements of any and all public meetings to the local media. A customer search in the archives of Hernando Today shows the district did not pay for a single legal notice in the last two years.

One Spring Hill resident, Harry Chamberlain, wrote an e-mail earlier this week to county commissioner Jeff Stabins complaining that Raborn told him the contract would only be made public "after the vote" Tuesday.

Stabins, in turn, stated he was "surprised the contract will not be aired publicly."

Fire commissioner Rob Giammarco has accused his colleagues on the board of failing to keep the public informed on both the budget and the labor agreement prior to their votes.

Giammarco voted against the budget and opposed last year's labor agreement.

"I just think as board members we should be open and forthright," he said. "Voting on the labor agreement first and then opening it up for public comment means we're not being responsible or showing respect to the community."

Raborn did not return a message left on his cell phone.

The district pays $375.09 per month toward health insurance for a single employee, but does not offer dental. It offers $10,000 in long-term and short-term disability benefits and Term Life insurance. Previously, it paid $20,000.

If an employee opts for the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, he or she would not have to pay for health insurance. The district foots the bill. A firefighter who opts for an HMO or PPO plan would be required to pay $340.61 or 502.78 per month, respectively.

Fagan said he was satisfied Raborn relented and scheduled a public meeting Tuesday.

"How many people really knew about that contract? That was my whole objection," he said. "Now they will have a meeting that a lot of people know about. That's the way it should be."