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Board OK’s labor deal
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The city council signed off on the deal Friday afternoon but the details won’t be released to the public until a federal judge signs off on it.
Even without the court’s final approval, both sides spoke as if the lawsuit was a not-so-distant memory Friday afternoon.
“We are pleased to have this behind us, and we’re moving forward in a positive manner,” said Rockingham Mayor Gene McLaurin.
“We’re delighted if this is what they decided on down there,” Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of North Carolina Union President David Anders said in a phone interview. “(The union firefighters) seem to be very pleased with it, so we are too.”
At the meeting was Rockingham International Association of Fire Fighters Local Chapter Treasurer Rodney Gandy, who was terminated from his position at the fire department in the month following the filing of the lawsuit.
His firing was one of the circumstances cited in an amendment to the lawsuit alleging retaliation by Fire Chief Charles Gardner for the 10 city employees forming a union and filing suit.
He confirmed that as the agreement stands, he will not regain his job as a Rockingham firefighter.
“It is my understanding that (Gandy and Union Chapter President Robbie Barber, who was also fired following the lawsuit’s filing) have both moved on and found other things they feel they can make a living at,” Anders said Friday. “I think this whole experience kind of left a bad taste in their mouth.”
He noted it “can be quite stressful,” to lose your job, be involved in a lawsuit and have your case aired in the media.
The city council convened at Rockingham City Hall at 12:30 Friday, and immediately voted to go into closed session, where they spent approximately an hour discussing the matter.
The five members then gave their unanimous approval to a motion entered by Councilman John Hutchinson.
“I would move that we vote to accept the terms of the settlement of Nov. 13, 2009 between the City of Rockingham and the firefighters,” Hutchinson said immediately after open session was approved.
Councilman Gene Willard seconded the motion, and it was approved without further discussion.
The agreement itself was reached during a mediation session between the representatives of the city and the 10 firefighters last Friday.
A joint press release was released earlier this week announcing a deal had been struck, pursuant to the council’s approval.
Despite that unanimous approval, the details will not be made public until they are approved by the federal court in Greensboro, according to city officials.
Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump said it is uncertain how long that process will take, but at that point it will become public record.
“The city is very pleased to move forward,” McLaurin went on to say following the meeting. “We met today to discuss the details of the agreement mediated last Friday between city officials and the firefighters and we’re pleased that this matter is behind us.”
He described the fire department’s record concerning property loss prevention and workplace safety as “outstanding.”
“The city has made significant investments in the fire department over the years,” McLaurin continued. “As an example, at Fire Station One we’ve made over $1 million in improvements over the last two years. It’s a state-of-the-art facility, and we’ve got a group of firefighters that we’re very proud of the job they do protecting our citizens and providing services to the residents of the city.”
n Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
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I'm glad the firefighters and union won this fight, they never asked for more than what they were owed! You can't require people to be on call 24/7 and not compensate them for their time!
All parties leave feeling that they have won, this is true in this case too.
I feel that if this case had gone to trial, the employees would have prevailed and the City would have had to pay out much more than they actually did, but the core problem remains, Chuck Gardner is a continuing liabilty and always will be, ask anyone who has ever had to deal with him when he was city inspector, it was awful and he was and is so arrogant you can hardky bear it.
If the city is in fact going to retain him as an employee, I would suggest that the council put him in a job where he would not come in contact with very many citizens, such as Dog Catcher.