Is unionization in the cards for Evergreen Fire and Rescue?

The Evergreen Fire District board received notice last month of interest in unionizing among some of its 25 employees.

The vast majority of the employees are paid for providing ambulance service and firefighting, although some of the emergency medical technicians and paramedics do not fight fires. There are also some volunteer firefighters.

Board chairman Jack Fallon said the department received a letter from the state Board of Personnel Appeals notifying them of firefighters' interest in joining the Montana Public Employees Association.

Fallon said he was unable to determine how many of the fire district's employees signed the March 11 petition and was told it's not a public record.

On April 6, the International Association of Fire Fighters filed a petition to intervene in the election to unionize. That required at least 10 percent of the department's firefighters, or three firefighters, to sign.

F. Ray Ruffatto, secretary of Kalispell's firefighters' IAFF Local 547, said members of the Evergreen Fire Department would need a sponsor to join the union since they are all part-time employees.

Ruffatto said it's not uncommon to have a centralized local office representing firefighters. He cited an example from Washington state where nine or 10 unions are organized under one local.

Ruffatto said he understands that the Evergreen election will contain both the Montana Public Employees Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Evergreen firefighters could vote to join either union or vote no.

A call to Tonya McCormack of the state Board of Personnel Appeals was not returned by press time.

"It's disheartening that we have to go through this process," Fallon said Thursday. "I'm very disappointed that Kalispell thinks they need to be involved in an Evergreen issue.

"So far, we've spent $3,600 on an attorney [Dan Johns] since March 16," Fallon said. "It's a souring and sobering experience. The district [board] is not happy about it at all. We have no desire to have a bargaining unit. We thought we had a good relationship with the employees as a whole. There's people talking it up, and people talking it down."

Evergreen firefighter Cameron Bradley said he favors the IAFF. The petition to join a union is about public service, not money. "We don't expect more money," he said. "It's about a seat at the table and providing better service."

Evergreen Fire District "is growing pretty fast," he said. Joining a union is a "good way to prepare for the future."

He described joining a union as a way to increase working hours without costing the department more money. Referring to the Fair Labor Standards Act, Bradley said the firefighters could work 212 hours over 28 days, or 7.57 hours a day, without being paid overtime.

Currently, Evergreen firefighters normally work 28 to 36 hours a week and do not get health insurance.

Evergreen firefighters get paid considerably less than their counterparts in Kalispell. EMTs are paid $8 an hour, and paramedics $15 an hour.

Kalispell firefighters get paid $16.83 to $27 an hour plus benefits.

While noting he's not exerting pressure on Evergreen Fire's employees, Fallon said the board believes a majority are not in favor of joining a union.

Evergreen Fire Chief Craig Williams, Fire Marshal Ben Covington, and Administrative Assistant Tara Chapman are in management and would not be in a union.

Fallon said the election date has not been set yet, but he assumes it would be sometime in May.

Reporter Caleb Soptelean may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at csoptelean@dailyinterlake.com.