Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Patience, Patience

It takes two to tango, and that was definitely true for the Town of Midland’s volunteer firefighters.

CLAC’s cooperative, partnership approach was put to the test from day one after being certified as the bargaining agent for this group of 17 volunteers, who joined Local 920 in April 2006. They endured some very difficult and at times acrimonious negotiations with town officials during the three years it took to finally reach a first collective agreement.

Following the difficult start, the labour-management relationship slowly improved over the years. Then in March 2013, the relationship took a significant turn for the better when Carolyn Tripp was hired as the new chief administrative officer for the town. Carolyn brought a new level of respect to communications between the town and the volunteers, as did Paul Ryan, who was hired recently as the new fire chief.

The poor labour relations climate Midland volunteers initially endured provides a great example that by being patient, positive and cooperative labour relations can be achieved. But it also demonstrates that a lot depends on who is on the other side of the table, and how willing they are to work to improve the relationship.

These volunteer firefighters are to be commended for their patience and the support they showed to their union as the relationship slowly developed and improved. They stayed the course and now their patience is paying off. The volunteers recently ratified their third collective agreement.

Along with their volunteer work, these firefighters help educate the public on fire prevention and volunteer their time at local events on behalf of the Midland Fire Service. Their spirit of service embodies what it takes to create great, safe communities for everyone.

David Fournier

Drew Hutchings

Eric Adamson, Scott Sutton

Jeff Beauchamp

Rebecca Wheeler

Patience, Patience

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