CITY OF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK

ROOM 302, WATERTOWN CITY HALL

245 WASHINGTON STREET
WATERTOWN, NEW YORK 13601-3380
(315) 785-7720
JOSEPH M. BUTLER, JR.
Mayor

PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2019

For Immediate Release

Contact: Mayor’s Office

The Watertown City Council went into executive session from a work session of the
Council held on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, to discuss, among other allowable topics,
“pending litigation.” Council members discussed the status of a grievance filed by the
Watertown Professional Firefighter’s Association Local 191 pertaining to a November 12,
2017 directive to the Watertown Fire Department that when operational staffing fell below 15
members per shift, including the Battalion Chief, as the result of fire personnel reporting out
on sick leave for that shift, the backfilling with overtime for those personnel must cease. The
directive also stated that at no time would overall shift personnel drop below 13 members,
including the Battalion Chief.

The Firefighter’s Association filed grievance number 2017-265 on November 9, 2017.

Attorney Slye explained that the grievance became the subject of a court action which
ultimately resulted in a holding that the City’s directive was improper. Mr. Slye reported that
both he and the attorney for the Firefighter’s Association had worked to resolve the grievance,
whereby the City agreed to a settlement payment to be shared equally among all bargaining
unit members employed by the City at any point between November 12, 2017 through
November 7, 2019, when the directive was revoked by the current City Manager. The total
payment agreed upon is in the amount of $129,313.93. This amount represents the amount of
overtime which would have been paid to maintain staffing at 15 personnel (including the
Battalion Chief) during the two year time period that this directive was in place. Mr. Finn
reported that the funds had previously been appropriated, and are available for payment.

Motion by Councilman Horbacz, seconded by Councilwoman Ruggiero to approve the

settlement: All members voted in favor. The motion was passed at 7:07 p.m.
R. Slye, City Attorney
Recording Secretary

For further information or questions, contact Mayor Butler at 785-7720.