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September 24, 2009

Firefighters Offer to Retire If Fired
Workers Can Return To Work, No Response from the Village in Three Days....
commentary by Ed Vincent

Several of the eligible firefighters, making higher wages, have offered to retire early from the department if it means that the newly fired employees with young families can be called back.

This is an offer that has been made by some individuals and placed on the desk of Oak Park Village Manager Tom Barwin, according to Union sources. Three days have passed since the offer was made and no response from the Manager yet.

Fire Union members are reluctant to take any action until assurances are made by the Manager that their early retirement will bring back to work the people fired without warning the other day. Some firefighters believe that without guarantees, they could be used to only reduce the
overall Village debt obligation and not help their fellow firefighters.

The Oak Park firefighters have been without a working contract since 2005 and add with that when a contract is finally settled there will be back pay that is due for the workers. The Village has spent large sums of money
fighting the firefighters and their Union. In 1988 there
were some 85 members of the Oak Park firefighters and
now that number is reduced to 61 firefighters, at the
same time that the Village seeks to expand high rise buildings and additional luxury homes.

Many of these new dwellings are not going to attract
families with children as much as they will younger professionals and older persons with higher risks or demands of ambulance service. This is at the same
time that the Village has been operating with too few ambulances in service now. Oak Park has two ambulances and Loyola University has recommended that the Village have at least three, and that is before Whiteco is fully filled and the new buildings are put up.

Earlier in the year the Village had considered closing some of the current fire stations that are dispersed to serve all areas of the Village in a timely manner. When Oak Park officials are hell bent on driving the population density through the roof why would any planning look to reduce
the value of human life by cutting back on essential services directly insuring the citizens lives and health.

The absurdity of the situation is perhaps best illustrated by looking at the $1,000,000.00 saved by the firefighters budget on their backs without a contract and funds that have been used to fight them in court, cases fought by the Village and lost.

Instead of going to court all the time, perhaps honest negotiating with the Village's Unions and plans for the future that are based on reasonable goals and actions.

We wish our brave firefighters a just contract, just treatment, and a brighter future protecting the Village residents.

OAK PARK FIRFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION,
IAFF LOCAL 95, ANALYSIS OF THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PAYMENTS OF LEGAL FEES TO TWO SELECTED LAW FIRMS FROM
2002 – 2007

Payments to Franczek & Sullivan

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

$69,919 $296,983.32 $232,060.87 $330,929.98 $203,142.99 $217,243.82

Total $ amount 2002 – 2007 = $1,350,279.90

Franczek & Sullivan represents the Village in labor dealings (unfair labor practices, negotiations, grievances and arbitrations) with IAFF Local 95.

Payments to Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

$185,687 $346,285.26 $255,237.90 $133,995.46 $50,971.13 $70,743.99

Total $ amount 2002 – 2007 = $1,042,920.70

Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins represented the Village in their suit against the Oak Park Fire Pension Board . The action took place from 2003 to 2005, ending with a Appellate Court ruling (case # 1-05-0316) in the favor of the Fire Pension Board and Dennis Weidler. The Village paid Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins $735,518.62 in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

* The case was also heard in the Circuit Court (case # 03 CH21547).

The amounts shown were taken from reports of the Village’s Revenues and Receipts reports that were furnished by the Village as part of a Freedom of Information request by the Oak Park Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 95.