Summary

After being found guilty in ULP #4, Clearwater fire officials continued their utter disrespect for the law of Clearwater and the state of Florida by continuing to deny CFFA officials time off to utilize their rights to represent their members.

Unfair Labor Practice #6 represented the third time Clearwater officials violated the same article of their agreement with the CFFA.

This Unfair labor Practice was eventually combined with Unfair Labor Practice #5.

Verdict

1) Neither party admits wrongdoing.

2) The City of Clearwater agrees not to deny requests for union time for arbitrary and capricious reasons, and agrees to provide legitimate reasons for any denial.

3) The City of Clearwater will not counsel or discipline CFFA members for not making union leave time requests in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

4) The City of Clearwater will not restrain, or coerce public employees in the exercise of their guaranteed rights.

5) Previous counselings against CFFA leadership shall not be considered in any subsequent actions under the Performance and Behavior Management System and shall be considered invalid.

6) City of Clearwater is to pay for legal fees pertaining to this violation.

ULP 5 and ULP 6 costs were combined, with a total cost to tax payers of $4,576.28*

*These costs do not include additional fees billed to the city by their attorneys Thompson, Sizemore, and Gonzalez, which equated to an additional $46,382.91 for all 6 ULPs combined.

 

Click here to read the full ULP

Click here to read the settlement