After a hard-fought negotiation, Lewiston, Idaho Fire Fighters Local 1773 has successfully defended its collective bargaining rights and secured a new three-year contract. But the road to securing the new agreement was far from easy.
In early 2024, Local 1773 began successor contract negotiations with the city of Lewiston. While the union and the city were reached a tentative agreement on most issues, they hit an impasse on key items impacting Local 1773 members. In accordance with their collective bargaining agreement, the dispute was submitted to a fact-finding commission.
In August 2024, the fact-finding commission issued a decision in favor of Local 1773 on the contested issues. Based on language in the existing contract stating the fact-finding commission’s ruling was to be binding, the Local believed the matter resolved.
But the city had other plans.
Rather than honoring the ruling, the city of Lewiston dismissed the commission’s findings altogether. Although fire fighters are one of only two groups of public employees allowed to collectively bargain under Idaho law, the city argued it was under no obligation to follow the provision because the binding language in the contract was “invalid.”
“We’ve always approached negotiations with honor and honesty, bargaining in good faith for the betterment of our members and the community we serve,” said Local 1773 President John Thompson. “But with the city’s recent shift to a strong mayor form of government came a clear change in tactics.
“What we experienced during this round of bargaining wasn’t principled disagreement,” he continued. “It was an attempt to sidestep our contract, undermine the bargaining process, and break our union.”
In response, Local 1773 filed a grievance against the city – the contractually required next step to resolve such disputes. The Local encouraged the city to follow this process and enter mediation, as required by the grievance procedure, to find an amicable path forward.
What we experienced during this round of bargaining wasn’t principled disagreement. It was an attempt to sidestep our contract, undermine the bargaining process, and break our union.
Local 1773 President John Thompson
But instead, the city sued Local 1773.
With assistance from the IAFF’s General Counsel’s Office, the Local filed a motion to compel arbitration and stay the city’s lawsuit.
After a lengthy legal battle that cost taxpayers thousands, the court ultimately sided with Local 1773. The city was ordered to move the dispute to mediation and finally bargained in good faith.
Local 1773 went on to secure a favorable new contract – achieving provisions important to their members.
“In the end, we found a resolution through mediation – exactly as our contract outlined from the start,” said Local 1773 Executive Board member and lead negotiator Tim Parker. “This fight proved that contracts mean something, and our union can’t be broken.”
IAFF Locals across the U.S. regularly face hostile city leaders who, despite agreeing to CBAs, have no intention of following their obligations in the event of a dispute. These types of bad-faith tactics threaten public safety and are a huge expense to taxpayers.
“The city tried to bully us in court, but they didn’t expect the solidarity of our membership, the overwhelming support from the community we serve, or the full weight of the IAFF behind us,” said Parker. “With the backing of General President Edward Kelly, DVP Ricky Walsh, and the International, we stood our ground.”
