Firefighters Union Files Labor Complaint Against City Of Redding

The union representing Redding Firefighters has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the City of Redding, saying that city administrators have engaged in bad faith bargaining. The complaint filed last week with the California Public Employment Relations Board alleges three things: regressive bargaining, failure to meet causing delayed bargaining and direct dealing. Negotiators have been trying to come up with an agreement for more than a year and Redding Firefighters have been working without a contract for more than 5 months. Redding Professional Firefighters Local 1934 says that’s because the city has continually canceled and postponed meetings with them. For the first time in the history of the department, it’s operating with virtually full staffing, but the union said last month that 23% of firefighters hired in the last ten years have been lured away by other fire agencies.