A recent arbitration decision eliminated mandatory “manning” requirements in Newark, New Jersey.
Previously, the city was required to have a minimum of 19 firefighters on duty. The new decision gives the fire chief the final say over necessary manpower decisions.
According to coverage of the incident, the dispute over manning took more than one year to resolve. In July, the union voted against a study that supported the revised approach to manning.
The Mayor and City Council in Newark had argued during contract negotiations that manning should be up to the discretion of management, especially considering the need to avoid overtime, which had become a huge strain on the general fund.
The union claimed the decision could jeopardize safety and lives. The Mayor rebutted that argument citing mutual aid is already a necessary part of fighting fires.
While the arbiter ruled for the city on the staffing decision, it ruled for the union on other issues, including a 2.75 percent raise—in exchange for removal of 3.5 percent pension payments from Newark—and 1 percent base raises in 2012 and 2013.
Original coverage of the staffing issue is available, as is an International Association of Fire Fighters (somewhat biased) study on manning policies and other issues.