PEP Online – October 2026
Registration
Online Training via Zoom
Registration fee: $75
When registering for this online training, please make sure you are not scheduled to be on shift the day of the event.
Cut-off dates: Sept. 16 for mailing materials to students in Canada and Sept. 18 for mailing out materials to students in the USA. A Zoom link will be emailed directly to participants prior to the event.
The IAFF will NOT be recording PEP Online sessions. PEP courses are highly interactive and allow for open classroom discussions. The IAFF strives for all PEP courses to be a safe and open environment for learning and sharing.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
- 12:30–5 p.m. (ET)
-
Grievance Track
Preparing for Grievance Arbitration: Contract Language
Preparing for Grievance Arbitration: Evaluating Evidence
Workshop Tracks
Grievance Track (Oct. 27)
Preparing for Grievance Arbitration: Contract Language
The collective bargaining agreement is a contract between union and management that outlines the wages, benefits, and working conditions for fire fighters. To maintain flexibility in the workplace, negotiators sometimes include language in the agreement that is ambiguous or general in nature. Occasionally, this ambiguity leads to disputes between the two parties over the meaning of the contract. When these disputes are brought to arbitration, the arbitrator must determine which interpretation is the most reasonable and best reflects the mutual intent of the parties. This workshop will teach you how arbitrators consider contract language, past practice, and other contributing factors in order to reach a decision.
Preparing for Grievance Arbitration: Evaluating Evidence
To win your case in grievance arbitration, it is crucial to have evidence to back up your arguments and assertions. Without sufficient evidence, it is difficult to convince an arbitrator to rule in your favor. This workshop will teach you how to gather evidence, identify the types of evidence admissible in arbitration, and determine which types carry the most weight with arbitrators. This workshop is ideal for local union officers and grievance committee members who have limited experience with grievances.