LEWISTON — The city and the Fire Department are set to begin a new round of “informal mediations” Monday as the fire union rolls past more than two and a half years without a new contract.
This series of talks, according to Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau, will bring in a professional mediator to work with both sides. In an agreement with Lewiston’s fire union, the city will pay the full cost of hiring Evan Weston, a mediator registered with the Maine Labor Relations Board, to conduct the meetings.
Nadeau said the city will pay Weston $250 an hour.
In recent public statements, both sides have said the contract hang-ups include staffing, pay and benefits.
Nadeau, who has been the city’s point man on labor negotiations, announced his retirement Wednesday, effective June 30. He said Thursday that he’s going into the new round of talks with a positive outlook.
“You can never go in not believing,” he said regarding the lengthy negotiations, adding that both sides have “a sincere interest to get this done.”
On Dec. 20, the City Council renewed Fire Chief Paul Leclair’s contract for three years. Dozens of Fire Department personnel packed the council chambers to show support for the department during the stalled negotiations.
During the meeting, Capt. Rick Cailler, president of the Lewiston Firefighters IAFF Local 785, told councilors that Lewiston has 67 firefighters, with 64 active firefighters in the field.
“We need at least 20 more,” he said.
In December, Leclair said that number of staffing requirements would come at a cost of about $1 million.
A City Council executive session to discuss the labor negotiations was held Monday.
On Thursday, Leclair deferred comment on the negotiations to Nadeau. He said the department has largely been focusing on getting the city through the recent spell of winter weather safely.
Nadeau said that in some cases, if labor negotiations are at an impasse, either the union or municipality may file for formal mediation with the Maine Labor Relations Board. Both sides, however, agreed on the informal route, although Weston serves on the state’s panel of mediators.
The mediation will be conducted in a similar procedure used by Maine Labor Relations, Nadeau said, with Weston meeting with both groups at the same time, but with each group in separate rooms.
Asked last week if he was optimistic heading into Monday’s meeting, Cailler said, “I really don’t know. Nine hundred nineteen days is a long time.”
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