TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! TODAY'S KANSAS CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT, AMBULANCE WORKER AND CITY MANAGER STANDOFF!!!
Reports are flying in from everywhere . . . You d-bags are gonna have to straighten it out in the comments . . .
BASICALLY, A MEMO FROM CITY MANAGER TROY SCHULTE PUTS THE WORK HOURS AND COMPENSATION OF KANSAS CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT AMBULANCE WORKERS BACK IN PLAY!!!
Here's a bit of info floating around from the ambulance worker and former victims of the MAST hostile takeover side of things . . .
"Smokey got a letter from the City Manager to put everyone on 40 hour shifts or thru the academy!!! Shit is hitting the fan!"
That text speaks to the fact that former MAST workers now in the KCFD are complaining about a violation of federal labor law that has them working far too many hours for little pay and the fact that they are members of the KCFD but can't do fire suppression. Obviously, the long plan was to phase out these workers . . . But in the meantime there are quite a few of these folks who are put in a situation where they are second class members of the KCFD . . . That was pretty much the crux of the complaint against bringing MAST into the department in the first place.
It gets worse . . .
Check a recent Union memo and decide for yourself:
Brothers and Sisters,
There have been several new developments I think you need to be made aware of. It would appear one or more of our members have contacted City Council Members, along with other City Officials, and threatened legal action. Those involved are attempting to site Legal decisions that would bring warrant to their claim of an FLSA violation. The Union President is currently working toward a positive resolution to this issue, but its outcome is still in question. If we cannot resolve this issue all employees of the EMS Bureau will be placed on a 40 hour work week. The shift bid we just completed would be thrown out, and the membership would be subjected to another shift bid. Those who have submitted vacation bids would find them null and void, and would be required to repeat this process also.
I can say with all confidence you will see little choice in a new shift bid. I think we could see (10) ten hour shifts, but much more likely (5) five eight hour shifts a week. This reduction in hours would create a work environment far worse than what many members may have experienced in their career. We all know the shift bid before the merger where based on a (42) forty-two hour work week, and CEU were not completed on duty. This would not be the case if required to work (40) hour work weeks, and the overall reduction in coverage could climb to 500 hours a week. With what would be a huge influx of senior employees, anyone with 15 years or less on the job should plan on working weekends for years, if not decades. All the nightmares of the past could be just around the corner.
Before you received the last shift bid it was submitted to numerous Labor/ Management meetings, and sub-committee meetings to develop everything from supervision to supplies. These groups included numerous Union members, and a great deal of their time to complete this project. The shift bid including (24) twenty-four hour shifts would have provided over 400 hours a week in additional coverage. This comparison was in reference to coverage provided one year ago. This Shift Bid will also further decrease work load, System Status Management, and street corner deployment. In two different surveys the membership showed a strong desire to have the Union address these issues. The (24) twenty-four shifts would provide the most significant positive impact on the quality of our work environment in thirty years.
Please plan on attending one, and if possible both of the shop meetings. They are scheduled for Thursday the 24th at 6 P.M, and Friday the 25th at 10 A.M.
In Solidarity,
NAME WITHHELD
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So, this is what they're dealing with right now at City Hall and we'll see if this problem is handed down to the new City Council . . .
In other words . . . The MAST Decision continues to FAIL in the aftermath and Kansas City is forced to keep dealing with the consequences of the takeover.
Developing . . .