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Fire board outlines grievance process as union filing moves toward council-level talks
Summary
Board members and town officials described ongoing negotiations with the fire union and the process if the grievance proceeds to adjudication before the fire board; a council executive session on negotiations was scheduled.
Members of the Whitestown Fire Board discussed a grievance filed by the fire union and described the steps the department and town are taking to resolve it. Town officials said they have tried to keep the fire board removed from negotiation-level discussions so the board would have a clean slate to adjudicate should the grievance reach that stage.
A union grievance filing was provided to the board following the filing deadline, the chief said. The chief and council members met with union representatives to hear the grievance and the chief offered to host an executive session with counsel to review the matter and explore resolution options. Town officials said negotiations between the union and the town are ongoing; if the parties do not reach agreement, both sides would present to the fire board and the board would act as an adjudicatory body under the contract.
Board members asked whether council members who also sit on the fire board would be conflicted if the grievance reached adjudication. Officials said those potential conflicts would be handled case-by-case and that a recusal would be expected if a member felt conflicted. The chief said an executive session on negotiations was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. the next day and that the negotiation timeline given to the parties runs through Feb. 28, 2025.
The board did not take any adjudicatory action at the meeting; officials said they will update the board if the union and town reach an agreement or if the grievance proceeds to a hearing before the fire board.
