San Jose firefighters respond to civil grand jury report

By John Woolfolk

Mercury News
Posted: 06/19/2009 06:44:59 PM PDT
Updated: 06/19/2009 09:59:49 PM PDT

In response to a scathing civil grand jury report this week, the San Jose firefighters union Friday acknowledged a "strained relationship" with city management but said the findings overlooked key facts.

"We regret the final report was issued without considering all of the facts and seeking input from all pertinent stakeholders," said San Jose Firefighters President Randy Sekany in a one-page written retort.

The 19-member civil grand jury, empaneled for a year, acts as a public watchdog agency. City officials must respond to the findings within 90 days.

The grand jury report on the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 230, as the San Jose firefighters are formally known, assailed Sekany and other leaders of the 747-member union as needlessly hostile toward management. It said the union has filed more than twice as many contract grievances as the city's 10 other unions combined and called many of those grievances frivolous.

It also said union leaders abuse city-paid time off for labor activities.

In defending the union, Sekany — who retired as a fire captain in December but continues as Local 230 president, a post he has held for nine years — noted that the grand jury never sought his testimony in producing its 33-page report.

Sekany added that the union and management routinely meet and discuss issues and have resolved hundreds of matters through productive negotiations. He also noted the minimum
Advertisement
staffing levels and union time-off policies questioned by the grand jury were agreed upon by the city, and that the minimum staffing policy saves San Jose more than $1 million a year in overtime costs.

Finally, Sekany said, "firefighters have an overwhelming lack of confidence in the chief's ability to lead the department." The firefighters in December declared a vote of no confidence in Chief Darryl Von Raesfeld, but City Manager Debra Figone has stood by him.

"We acknowledge a strained relationship with some members of the city executive staff," Sekany wrote. "We also believe that fair-minded people would acknowledge that a strained relationship requires responsibility and accountability by both parties.

"Notwithstanding the aforementioned challenges," he added, "we stand ready, as we have for over 155 years, to work collaboratively with the city of San Jose."

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_12651709?nclick_check=1