Fight for Meet and Confer Not Over in Flagstaff

Flagstaff Local 1505 fire fighters after gaining Meet and Confer rights

December 1, 2009 – After more than a 20-year effort by Flagstaff, AZ Local 1505, the Flagstaff City Council adopted a meet and confer ordinance, giving fire fighters and all other City employees the right to bargain for improved wages, benefits and working conditions. Soon after, however, a citizen group attempted to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal the ordinance.

Local 1505 Executive Board member and past President David Manning, who has been working on this issue for more than 15 years, says the local is and the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona leadership are developing a counter strategy to the referendum.

“We will not back down from this fight until our members’ right to collectively bargain is secure,” says Manning. “We deserve a voice at the negotiation table, just as all employees do.”

Local 1505 came close about five years ago to gaining bargaining rights, but one pledged supporter changed her mind at the last minute. Then, after the affiliate’s political action team led a strong campaign, the incumbent mayor was ousted and fire fighter-friendly mayor, Sara Presler, was elected. True to her word, Presler helped lead the charge to pass the meet and confer ordinance by a 5-2 vote.

The opposition, led by a former assistant police chief, came together almost immediately to begin gathering signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal the ordinance. The group must gather 1,253 signatures by December 31, 2009, to ask the voters for the repeal.