Gilroy’s City Council took the first step in giving residents
the right to vote on repealing binding arbitration for Gilroy
firefighters following a 4-3 vote Monday in favor of a ballot
measure proposed by Councilman Perry Woodward. The topic was one of
several meaty issues discussed during the regular council
meeting.
Gilroy’s City Council took the first step in giving residents the right to vote on repealing binding arbitration for Gilroy firefighters following a 4-3 vote Monday in favor of a ballot measure proposed by Councilman Perry Woodward. The topic was one of several meaty issues discussed during the regular council meeting.
Under binding arbitration, an impartial third-party arbiter settles differences between the city and the union if either of them determine that labor negotiations are at an impasse. The practice has come under increased scrutiny by the council during the past year as the council and the fire union have endured tense negotiations and an ever-shrinking city budget.
Councilman Bob Dillon saved Woodward’s ballot measure proposal from failure at the last second during the meeting, after the council voted 4-3 to shoot down a separate motion by Mayor Al Pinheiro to create a ballot measure that would allow voters to choose whether to eliminate binding arbitration for police, firefighters, both or neither.
Woodward was the swing vote in both instances, saying that he believed that binding arbitration only should be repealed for fire services because the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2805, which represents Gilroy firefighters, is the only city organization that has used the bargaining tool in the past.
Woodward attributed current staffing ratios that require four firefighters per engine to binding arbitration. In turn, he said those ratios have caused Sunrise Fire Station in northwestern Gilroy to remain closed on a regular basis, as the station’s closure has been used to maintain those staffing ratios while keeping fire services within budget.
Meanwhile, Pinheiro and council members Cat Tucker and Bob Dillon all felt that binding arbitration should be repealed for police and firefighters alike.
“I’ve always felt it was a bad thing for the city of Gilroy,” Pinheiro said of binding arbitration.
However, Dillon decided after Pinheiro’s motion failed that “half a loaf is better than none,” and reintroduced Woodward’s motion, which initially failed to get a second vote.
It will cost the city about $48,000 to place the measure on the November ballot, City Clerk Shawna Freels said.
