BRUCE BUMSTEAD/BRANDON SUN
Members of the Brandon Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Association Local 803 stand behind their president Wade Ritchie, second from left, during a news conference held with Dave Naayknes, Marc Lefebvre and Alex Forrest at the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union office on Thursday.
Brandon’s firefighters union — and its international branch — have backed a Manitoba Labour Board unfair labour practice complaint against the City of Brandon after its local president Wade Ritchie was placed on a forced paid leave on Oct. 14.
Ritchie, a firefighter/paramedic and the head of the Brandon Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Association, was also barred from entering any fire hall in the city without permission pending an investigation of an email to city officials and comments Ritchie is alleged to have made to fellow union members related to union contract negotiations.
"We had one of our union presidents who was suspended and placed on leave from duties and it was done at a very sensitive time frame, when they had just exchanged proposals," said Alex Forrest, the national representative of the International Association of Fire Fighters during a Thursday press conference attended by up to 60 firefighters and union leaders at the MGEU building.
"This is nothing but an attempt to intimidate the union … I don’t believe I have seen a more outrageous situation as the one that has occurred in Brandon.
"We are going to put the full weight of the International Association of Fire Fighters and this will be one of our highest priorities to deal with this."
In a letter obtained by the Sun, Deputy Fire Chief Garry Bell informed Brandon Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Association vice-president Marc Lefebvre that Ritchie was placed on leave, "pending the results of an investigation into allegations of deceitful conduct."
The city’s director of communications, Allison Collins, speaking on behalf of city manager Scott Hildebrand, said Ritchie was not under suspension, as the union alleged, but was on a paid leave of absence, "pending the outcome of an internal review."
"The City of Brandon does not discuss any matters related to employee relations because those issues relate to employer-employee relationships," Collins said. "That type of information will not be released."
According to the documents filed with the Manitoba Labour Board by Ritchie, the email was sent by Ritchie to ask Hildebrand whether a grandfathered clause about sick leave benefits was being removed from future agreements in spite of a letter of understanding that prevented that from taking place.
The documents then state that Ritchie was called into a meeting with Bell, Hildebrand and Vicki Fifi of the human resources department, where Ritchie was told the email "concerned" Hildebrand and that Bell was starting an investigation about the incident. Ritchie was informed he was to be placed on paid leave for the duration of the investigation and that he was not to be called in to work.
Union officials allege that 16 firefighter/paramedics were individually ordered to be interviewed by two deputy chiefs, where they were asked if Ritchie had said those sick leave provisions were being negotiated, whether the email was discussed, whether they were present for that conversation and who else was there. They further allege the 16 staffers were denied requests to have union representatives present.
"We are seeing morale at an all-time low in the history of the fire department," Lefebvre said.
Forrest said the Labour Board action will be the start of a campaign to clear Ritchie’s name and "will unfortunately result in not just tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills, but hundreds of thousand of dollars."
"We’ll be very aggressive about this," Forrest said. "There will be labour relations actions. There will be grievances. And there may even be civil suits."
Forrest has asked for a meeting with Mayor Shari Decter Hirst to explain their position, and to request her intervention in the matter. He said the request was denied.
"We are asking the mayor to take her responsibility, look at this issue and rescind the suspension immediately and investigate the dysfunctional managerial team that is here in Brandon," Forrest said. "We take this seriously within the IAFF."
The Brandon and District Labour Council also backed Ritchie in this dispute, demanding that Ritchie "be immediately returned to full-time duty," said labour council president Jan Chaboyer, who is also the city councillor for Green Acres ward.
"We would also urge the City of Brandon to ensure that decisions relating to personnel practices be carried out in a fair and just manner."
