JACKSON HOLE, WYO – A recent State Supreme Court ruling effectively invalidates a Teton County firefighter union that attempted to negotiate new contracts for its members. The high court said volunteer need to be included in order to form a union.
In Teton County, the situation came to a head when the county broke off collective bargaining talks with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local Union No. 5067 after concerns they weren’t dealing with a legitimate entity since the union was formed after a vote affirmation from 14 of the 18 fulltime personnel without addressing some seven part-timers and 79 volunteers (who are paid per event).
The case went to court in 2016. A decision last summer made by Fourth District Judge John G. Fenn came down on the side of the county stating the union did not have the authority to form without the vote of all members including volunteers.
IAFF Local 5067 president John Tobey appealed the decision that was upheld in the State Supreme Court’s finding.
The opinion of the justices hearing the case for the Wyoming State Supreme Court concluded, “The definition of ‘fire fighters’ as ‘paid members of any regularly constituted fire department’ is unambiguous and includes volunteer and pool fire fighters in Campbell and Teton counties. Further, the ‘context’ in these consolidated cases does not require a different interpretation. Accordingly, we affirm.”
Read the entire Supreme Court transcript.
