Firefighters hot over Turlock's health-care fund

Union says city isn't contributing enough and could file a lawsuit

By MICHAEL R. SHEA
mesa@modbee.com

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TURLOCK -- A lawsuit is brewing between Firefighters Local 2434 and City Hall.

The firefighters union requested $249,500.55 plus interest from the City Council on Tuesday, claiming the city's contribution to the health care fund for retired firefighters hasn't been calculated properly for years.

The council refused the claim without discussion. Fire union President Frank Saldivar said before the meeting that a lawsuit is imminent.

The issue arose when city management asked the union to change the word "payroll" to "salary" in the last round of negotiations. Firefighters refused and City Hall settled a two-year contract with the group in October.

City Hall pays 4 percent of base payroll into the health fund, according to the contract. The city always has taken that to mean salary rather than salary plus benefits. The police union has the same agreement, said Assistant City Manager John French, with the wording "4 percent of base salary." The city always has paid both groups based on salary alone, he said.

"We pointed it out to them. We wanted to clean up the language to be consistent with past practices and other bargaining groups," French said.

The $249,500 represents the difference between what the city paid to the fund and what firefighters say they should have been paid, calculating retirement and other benefits into the equation. The claim goes back to June 2003.

Saldivar and union negotiator Jim Watson did not return calls for comment Thursday.

In a Nov. 11 letter to the city, Watson wrote, "From June 13, 2003, through and including the date of this communication (city payment to the health fund) has in fact excluded the correct total calculation."

It is the latest disagreement over the city's recent labor negotiations.

In October, three councilmen said what they voted to approve for the Turlock City Employees Association was not what they agreed to in private negotiations. Councilman Ted Howze claims city management hoodwinked elected officials to get a better deal for themselves and their staff. Other council members and Mayor John Lazar have called that idea ridiculous.

Like the firefighters' $249,500 claim, the scuffle wasn't mentioned during the public portion of Tuesday's meeting.

Bee staff writer Michael R. Shea can be reached at mesa@modbee.cam or 578-2391.