HomeMy WebLinkAboutIAFF LOCAL 437, MOU (2020.8.31)MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
TO THE
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
BY AND BETWEEN
CITY OF BREMERTON
AND
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS
LOCAL No. 437
January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2021
The parties to the collective bargaining agreement beiween City of Bremerton and International Association
of Fire Fighters Local No. 437 in effect January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2021 (CBA) hereby agree
to the following Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to the CBA:
• This MOU shall not be precedent setting.
• Nothing in this MOU shall be construed to modify any rights or obligations under the CBA. Except
as otherwise explicitly provided in this MOU, all terms of the CBA shall remain in effect.
• Nothing in this MOU is, or shall be construed to be, a waiver of any right or obligation to bargain.
The Parties anticipate that there may be more vacant Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain and Fire
Battalion Chief Positions than there are successful candidates on the current eligible registers prior
to the next promotional exam dates under Article 15.3 of the current CBA.
In order to ensure that vacancies can be timely filled, the Parties agree that the City may administer
promotional examinations for Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain and Fire Battalion Chief with the
criteria listed in section 15.6 of this MOU.
individuals placed on the new eligible register for Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain and
Fire Battalion Chief based on the examination provided for in this MOU shall be promoted
unless and until all individuals who were eligible for promotion from that register at the
time of the new examination have been promoted or the current register expires.
ARTICLE 15 PROMOTIONAL EXAMS
15.1 PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATIONS: The Civil Service Rules shall apply to the
conduct of promotional examinations in all respects and shall be administered under the control of
the Civil Service Officer, including the posting ofthe examination announcement and bibliography,
the determination as to whether or not an employee is qualified to participate in the examination
process and the acceptance of applications on or before the posted closing date. Any portion of
such Rules which are in conflict with the provisions of this subsection shall be handled in
conformance with the following sections.
15.2 MAINTENANCE OF ELIGIBLE REGISTERS: Eligible registers for Fire Lieutenant,
Fire Station Captain, and Fire Battalion Chief shall be maintained by the Civil Service Officer on
a continuous basis irrespective of available vacancies. Testing for the positions of Medical Officer
and Fire Marshall shall be conducted only when a position becomes available.
15.3 In the event that a grievance is filed prior to any portion of examination(s) regarding anon -
Civil Service issue, then the Civil Service Officer may postpone the testing until such time as the
grievance has been resolved.
• 15.4 CRITERIA FOR OPEN EXAMINATIONS: Open promotional examinations will only
be administered to qualified bargaining unit members who have submitted the required application
paperwork on or before the posted closing date. However, when less than three (3) applications
are received from qualified bargaining unit members, the examination may be announced and
administered to external candidates as well. In the event that a grievance is filed prior to any portion
of the examination(s) regarding a non -Civil Service issue, then the Civil Service Officer may
postpone the testing until such time as the grievance has been resolved.
If a minimum of three (3) names, depending on the register used, are not available for certification
at the time the Department Head makes a request for certification in accordance with Civil service
Rules 11.03 and 11.05, he/she may request in writing to the Civil Service Officer the creation of a
new eligible register.15.5
• Effective January 1, 2020 the following eligibility criteria shall apply: SEE MOU 15.545.5.4
• 15.5.1 EligibiliTy to take Lieutenant's examination —Firefighters must have completed five (5)
years with the Bremerton Fire Department, or four (4) years with the Bremerton Fire Department
if hired as an experienced (lateral -entry) firefighter, and successfully completed Incident Safety
Officer and Fire Instructor I training as of the posted closing date in order to be eligible to take the
Lieutenant's examination.
• 15.5.2 Eligibility to take Fire Station Captain's examination - An applicant must have
completed one (1) year as a Fire Lieutenant with the Bremerton Fire Department and successfully
completed Incident Safety Officer training and Fire Instructor I as of the posted closing date in
order to be eligible to take the Fire Station Captain's examination.
• 15.5.3 Eligibility to take Fire Battalion Chief sexamination — A Company Officer must have
completed four (4) years as a company officer with the Bremerton Fire Department, and have
successfully completed Incident Safety Officer training and Fire Instructor I as of the posted
closing date in order to be eligible to take the Fire Battalion Chief s examination.
15.6 CRITERIA FOR EXAMINATION CONTENT:
Promotional examinations shall be conducted as an Assessment Center, with evaluators under the
direction of Civil Service. Promotional exams shall contain independent sections testing the
following content, each worth the corresponding number of points, to total a possible score of
100.
• Personnel issue or• citizen complaint (up to 20 points)
• Tactical scenario pertinent to the position (up to 30 points)
• Oral interview and written resume review (up to 50 points)
15.7 EXAMINATION SCORING: An applicant's performance on the promotional examination shall
be scored as follows:
15.7.1 Experience Rating: Maximum of Five (5) Points -Each applicant shall receive 0.5 (1/2)
point for each full two (2) years of employment with the Bremerton Fire Department, based
upon the date the examination is announced, up to a maximum of five (5) points. These
points will only be added for those candidates that attain an overall score of seventy percent
(70%) or greater.
15.7.2 Total Score —An applicant's total score shall be the sum of points earned fiom each section
of the assessment center plus their experience points.
15.7.3 Minimum Score - An applicant must achieve a total score of seventy percent (707o) or
more to be placed on the eligible register for the position.
15.7.4 All offers, acceptances and declinations of employment for promotional positions shall
only be made in writing.
15.7.5 During the life of this Agreement, the parties shall meet in a labor management forum to
discuss the above language covering promotions.
15.8 PROMOTIONS FROM FIREFIGHTER TO PARAMEDIC/FIREFIGHTER: A Firefighter
may be promoted to Paramedic/Firefighter (P.M./F.F.) under the following conditions:
15.8.1 The Employee must successfully complete a Paramedic training program approved by the
Fire Chief.
15.8.2 The employees must have aParamedic/Firefighter certificate issued by the Kitsap County
Medical Program Director,
15.8.3 The Fire Chief must approve the promotion.
15.8.4 The promotion shall take effect on the first day of the pay period after satisfying the above
conditions. For promotions to P.M. /F.F., the employee's step increase date will be
changed to the effective date of the promotion.
15.9 TRANSITION TO PARAMEDIC: A non -probationary Firefighter who transitions to
Firefighter/Paramedic shall remain in the Firefighter/Paramedic classification for no less than four
(4) years, except for promotional opportunities and/or assignments. Should an employee fail to
retain his/her Paramedic certification, they shall be downgraded to the Firefighter classification.
This Agreement is effective as of August 3 � , 2020. The terms of this agreement expire at
the end of the Assistant Fire Chief Assigrunent.
Signed this 31 g%%� day of August, 2020.
For the City:
Greg h eler, Mayor
Roger Lubovich, City Attorn
For the Union:
Rob Ashmore, President