South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

MFPD board OKs pact for roof at No. 6 house

Two bids for new ambulance opened by Board of Directors

A $28,348 contract to replace the roof at the Mehlville Fire Protection District’s No. 6 engine house was awarded last week by the Board of Directors.

Board Treasurer Bonnie Stegman and board Secretary Ed Ryan voted to award the contract to Lakeside Roofing Co. of Collinsville, Ill. The company submitted the lowest of two bids received for the work.

Board Chairman Aaron Hilmer was absent from the April 16 meeting.

Bids for the roof replacement at the No. 6 engine house, 6870 Telegraph Road, were opened April 2 by the board.

Geissler Roofing Co. of Belleville, Ill., submitted a bid of $34,900.

After reviewing both bids for compliance with the specifications of the district’s request for proposals, or RFP, Chief Brian Hendricks recommended the board award the contract to Lakeside, the lowest bidder.

The specifications of the RFP call for the roof replacement to be completed by May 1.

The Board of Directors also opened two bids for a new ambulance.

Emergency Services Supply submitted a bid of $172,745 and Sentinel Emergency Solutions submitted a bid of $185,876.

“We will check these for compliance and get back with the board at our next meeting,” Hendricks said.

The Board of Directors will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at the district’s headquarters, 11020 Mueller Road, Green Park.

In a separate matter, Ryan addressed union employees’ request to negotiate a collective-bargaining agreement with the Board of Directors.

Representatives of Local 2665 of the International Association of Fire Fighters have appeared before the board twice this year, requesting that negotiations begin on a collective-bargaining agreement.

However, board members say they prefer to use the district’s Employee Manual of Policies and Procedures, or EMoPP, as the presiding document for union employees, who are welcome to bring written proposals to the board that can be discussed in open session.

MFPD union employees have not operated under a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, since Dec. 31, 2002. In September 2007, the board voted unanimously to adopt the EMoPP.

The employee manual covers such policies and procedures as probation, personnel reduction, termination, salaries, benefits, minimum manning requirements, unscheduled overtime, trade time, promotional guidelines, grievances, educational benefits, leaves of absence, sick leave, workers’ compensation and discipline.

At the April 16 meeting, Ryan said, “… We do receive correspondence occasionally from the International Association of Fire Fighters local, and I just want to say that most of that correspondence is behind closed doors. But we do communicate with them regarding collective bargaining, and we have repeatedly said that all of our collective bargaining is available right here in the public-comment section (of meetings).

“And they continue to send notes regarding a different type of collective-bargaining negotiations. So we do give them that opportunity …”

In December, the board and administration proposed myriad changes to the EMoPP. Stegman told the Call the changes were “minor.”

In a Jan. 3 letter to Hendricks, Local 2665 Shop Steward Michael Yemm wrote, “… While I completely understand that the district has the right to establish safe and effective policies and procedures, some of the items in the employee manual seem to be better placed into a collective-bargaining agreement. Therefore, I would like to respectfully request that we begin the process of entering into negotiations to establish a collective-bargaining agreement between the Mehlville Fire Protection District and the Mehlville Firefighters Shop of IAFF Local 2665 …”

MFPD employees formerly were members of IAFF 1889, but merged with Local 2665 in September 2011.

MFPD union employees’ last MOU was negotiated by the Board of Directors and Local 1889. That three-year pact, approved in 1999, covered 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Under that agreement, district employees received increases in their base salaries ranging from 15.48 percent to 19.15 percent over the three years.

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