The Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors is considering a pension proposal presented by a longtime employee who recently resigned his membership in Local 1889 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Tim White, a firefighter/emergency medical technician who has been employed by the district since 1985, asked the Board of Directors Friday night to consider a six-point proposal involving pension and other benefits.

Local 1889 employees recently voted to reject an offer from the Board of Directors to settle ongoing litigation involving the pension plan and intend to pursue an appeal of a ruling upholding the board’s authority to make changes to the pension plan.

Local 1889’s request for a permanent injunction prohibiting the board from changing the pension plan to a defined-contribution plan from a defined-benefit plan was denied Aug. 27 by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Thea A. Sherry.

On Dec. 24, Sherry denied union employees’ motion for a new trial, but granted their motion for an injunction pending appeal that prohibits the board from making any changes to the pension plan.

White told the board that he recently resigned his membership in Local 1889.

“I come before you as an employee of the taxpayers of this district. I am no longer a member of IAFF Local 1889. It brings me great sadness that my association with this local comes to this final conclusion,” he said. “My father was a charter member of Local 1889. However, after several unsuccessful attempts within the organizational structure of Local 1889 to have an opportunity to address the elected Board of Di-rectors concerning the pension as well as many other issues, I was denied and told no in no uncertain terms.

“So, now I stand before you and ask to be recognized. I request that you would consider extending the time limitations on the board’s pension offer to the district employees that expires on March 1st of 2008. I am asking the Board of Directors to consider adopting a resolution for myself and all other interested employees — if I may interject, when I say all, I mean the administration as well as members of Local 1889 — interested employees of the Mehlville Fire Protection District who feel the following offer would be in the best interest of them and their families,” White said.

White’s proposal includes:

• Any employee in the next month who either retires or voluntarily resigns will have an opportunity to be immediately rehired without any loss of rank or seniority for the purposes of determining vacation, longevity, salary and any other fixed employee benefits, including the employee’s entered-on-duty date. Any such employee will return to work under the provisions of the new defined-contribution pension plan.

• Any employee who is enrolled in the new defined-contribution plan, including all employees hired after March 31, 2006, will be eligible for a 2-percent matching provision and will receive credit for total years of service to the district for determining the contribution rate.

• Employees who accept this offer have the opportunity to have their defined-benefit accrual as of the present date disbursed to them under the terms of the existing defined-benefit plan.

• Employees who accept this offer will be given access to their sick-leave accounts, which will be liquidated and disbursed or choose to leave the accumulations in their account with a variable provision that these days can be split in any way to the employees’ choosing. If they liquidate below 60 days, they will fall under the provisions of the Employee Manual of Policies and Procedures, or EMOPP.

• That the defined benefit be extended to the present date for all employees hired be-fore March 31, 2006, before switching to the defined-contribution plan that was outlined in the offer from the board as well as outlined within the EMOPP.

• Employees who accept this offer may liquidate vacation days for this year only if they wish or any portion thereof.

After White addressed the board, Chair-man Aaron Hilmer said the board will have a response for him on March 13.

“… We’ll have something prepared for you, telling you yea, nay or maybe we can accomplish what you’re asking for in a different route. You know, I see where your template’s going. We’ll hand this over and see if we can take it from there,” he said.

Asked by the Call about White’s presentation, Hilmer said it was “a breath of fresh air — the first sensible remarks the board has heard in three years from the rank and file. We look forward to working with Mr. White on his proposal.”

But Local 1889 President Bob Strinni told the Call he believes White’s presentation was “a political and media stunt.”

Strinni said, “… This is Aaron Hilmer’s way of busting this union and it looks like Tim White is helping him do it. Tim White has in the last year, he has come to the union floor. He has addressed the union body on some of the issues that he would like. He ran for office and lost, I think 2-1. So obviously the guys didn’t fall behind the message that he was bringing. So he instantly gets out of the union and I guess this is the way that he can address the board now.”