Random Drug Tests, Last-Chance Agreements For Offenders, Approved By Pittsburgh Fire Union

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 27

PITTSBURGH, PA – If there's one thing that's made Michael Huss red-faced during his time as Pittsburgh's fire chief and now public safety director, it's been his inability to discipline drug offenders.

A contract approved by union members Friday, though, changes that, committing both management and labor to hammering out a policy including random drug tests, terminations of repeat violators, and a fairer playing field when discipline is disputed.

"That's something that's very important to the mayor," said Mr. Huss, who provided copies of the new labor deal, signed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl yesterday. "We've had some [drug] cases that we've been frustrated with."

The details of the emerging policy haven't yet been hammered out, said International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1 President Joe King. "It's a very, very complicated issue," he said.

But the union was willing to commit in the new contract, which was approved 519-12, to tough parameters for the coming drug policy. "No member in our union condones the illegal use of any kind of substance," Mr. King said.

The issue has been highlighted repeatedly this year, first when the city tried to terminate firefighter John Connors after a guilty plea to drug possession, only to have a trial board of firefighters return him to work when it concluded that the city improperly demanded a drug test.

In June, then-firefighter Vincent Manzella was charged with calling in false alarms and then burglarizing stations while his colleagues were out. Police in their criminal complaint said he was supporting a heroin habit. The union initially argued for an innocent-until-proven-guilty approach. Manzella eventually resigned, making the union's position moot. His criminal case is pending.

The new contract gives a city-and-union committee 90 days to work out a policy that must include random drug and alcohol testing. It allows an employee to be placed on a "last chance agreement" just once during his career, with termination to follow any later misstep. And it takes disputes over drug cases out of the trial board system -- which allows firefighters to judge their own and nix discipline -- and puts it into the hands of neutral arbitrators.

"There are a lot of firefighters that don't want to work with firefighters that are doing drugs," said Mr. Huss. The new policies "will begin to start to build confidence back up that our employees are clean."

Outside of the contract is a new policy that prospective new hires will be required to undergo hair tests for substances, rather than the blood tests, which Mr. Huss said are less conclusive.

The contract gives firefighters the same $2,000 bonus with no raise next year that most city workers will get under a fiscal recovery plan, state Act 47 for distressed municipalities, that constrains collective bargaining.

After that, most other city employees can get 2 percent raises in 2011 and 2012, followed by 2.5 percent in 2013 and 3 percent in 2014. But firefighters agreed to just 2 percent each year, in return for renewing the old 4.5 percent pay hike for "master firefighters" who reach 15 years of service, and extension of longevity pay to those hired after 2005.

Longevity pay will range from $1,000 a year for four-year veterans to $10,000 for those with 40 years tenure.

Firefighters also agreed to commit 7 percent of their earnings to the city's troubled pension fund, up from 6.5 percent now.

The contract does nothing to trim overtime, which makes up the bulk of the $10 million-plus in premium pay the bureau shells out each year. But the city will shave some costs with new terms that reduce the payout for unused time off and cut out a short-term disability policy.

There will be no force reductions or station closures. Members voted overwhelmingly for the deal because it's "not how much I put in my pocket. It's, am I going to keep my job?" Mr. King said.

"King's not about money," said the longtime union chief, who must retire at the end of the contract's term, when he will be 65. "King's about safety."