BHR-17.03 - Labor Agreement - Portland Fire Fighters Association - Vacation Banking

The Council finds:

1. The Fire Bureau believes that 42- and 53-hour employees have been reluctant to take 40-hour assignments as, under the present terms of the Labor Agreement, this could result in the loss of vacation hours paid off if the employee then retires as a 40-hour employee.

2. Further, it is believed that when a 42- or 53-hour employee that has moved to a 40-hour schedule has "banked" vacation leave and qualifies for Family Leave under federal or state law, under the terms of the present Labor Agreement the employee can have "banked" vacation leave that said employee cannot use.

3. The provision contained in "subsection 12" as referenced in the Memorandum will assist the bureau to better plan its staffing requirements by not mitigating the incentive for fire fighters to advise the bureau of their "commitment to retire" as provided in Article 10, subsection 3 of the Labor Agreement.

4. To rectify this situation, representatives of the Fire Bureau, the Bureau of Human Resources and the Portland Fire Fighters Association entered into a collaborative dialog to modify certain terms of the parties Labor Agreement per the memorandum of agreement attached as Exhibit A.

POLICY

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

a.  The Director of the Bureau of Human Resources is authorized to execute the memorandum of agreement between the City and the PFFA relating to modifying certain terms of the Labor Agreement as provided in Exhibit A as attached hereto.

b.  This ordinance is a binding City policy.