Oroville Municipal Code Art. XL The Charter

Sec. 1. Impartial Arbitration for Fire Department.

A. Impartial Arbitration - Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City of Oroville that strikes by fire fighters are not in the public interest and should be prohibited, and that a method should be adopted for peacefully and equitably resolving disputes that might otherwise lead to such strikes.

B. Prohibition Against Strikes. No City of Oroville fire fighters shall willfully engage in a strike against the City. Any such employee against whom the City brings charges of failing to report for work as part of a strike shall be subject to dismissal from his or her employment in the event the charges are sustained upon conclusion of the proceedings that are required by law for the imposition of disciplinary action upon said employee.

C. Obligation to Negotiate in Good Faith. The City of Oroville through its duly authorized representatives, shall negotiate in good faith with recognized employee organizations which represent fire fighters, engineers and captains of the City of Oroville Fire Department on all matters relating to the wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of City employment, including the establishment of procedures for the resolution of grievances concerning the interpretation or application of any negotiated agreement. Unless and until agreement is reached through negotiations between the City of Oroville and a recognized employee organization for the Fire Department bargaining unit, or a determination is made through the arbitration procedure hereinafter provided, no existing benefits or conditions of employment for said fire department employees shall be eliminated or changed.

D. Impasse Resolution Procedures. All disputes or controversies pertaining to wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment which remain unresolved after good faith negotiations between the City of Oroville and the recognized Fire Department employee organization involved in the dispute shall be submitted to a three-member Board of Arbitrators upon the declaration of an impasse by the City or by the recognized employee organization.

Representatives designated by the City of Oroville and representatives of the recognized organization involved in the dispute shall each appoint one arbitrator to the Board of Arbitrators within three (3) days after either party has notified the other, in writing, that it desires to proceed to arbitration. The third member of the Arbitration Board shall be selected by agreement between the two arbitrators selected by the City and the employee organization, and shall serve as the neutral arbitrator and Chairperson of the Board. In the event that the arbitrators selected by the City and the employee organization cannot agree upon the selection of the third arbitrator within ten (10) days from the date that either party has notified the other that it has declared an impasse, then either party may request the State of California Mediation and Conciliation Service to provide a list of seven (7) persons who are qualified and experienced as labor arbitrators. If the arbitrators selected by the City and the employee organization cannot agree within three (3) days after receipt of such list on one of the seven (7) to act as the third arbitrator, they shall alternately strike names from the list of nominees until one name remains and that person shall then become the third arbitrator and Chairperson of the Arbitration Board.

Any arbitration proceeding convened pursuant to this Article shall be conducted in conformance with, subject to, and governed by Title 9 of Part 3 of the California Code of Civil Procedure. The Arbitration Board shall hold public hearings, receive evidence from the parties and cause a transcript of the proceedings to be prepared. The Arbitration Board, in the exercise of its discretion, may meet privately with the parties and mediate or mede-arb issues and dispute. The Arbitration Board may also adopt such other procedures that are designated to encourage an agreement between the parties, expedite the arbitration hearing process, or reduce the costs of the arbitration process.

At the conclusion of the arbitration hearings, the Arbitration Board shall direct each of the parties to submit, within such time limit as the Arbitration Board may establish, a last offer of settlement on each of the issues in dispute. The Arbitration Board shall decide each issue by majority vote by selecting whichever last offer of settlement on that issue it finds most nearly conforms with those factors traditionally taken into consideration in the determination of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of public and private employment, including, but not limited to, changes in the average consumer price index of goods and services, the wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment of other employees performing similar services, and the financial condition of the City of Oroville and its ability to meet the cost of the award.

After reaching a decision, the Arbitration Board shall mail or otherwise deliver a true copy of its decision to the parties. The decision of the Arbitration Board shall not be publicly disclosed and shall not be binding until ten (10) days after it is delivered to the parties. During that ten day period the parties may meet privately, attempt to resolve their differences, and by mutual agreement amend or modify any of the decisions of the Arbitration Board. At the conclusion of the ten (10) day period, which may be extended by mutual agreement between the parties, the decision of the Arbitration Board, incorporating any amendments or modifications agreed to by the parties, shall be publicly disclosed and shall be binding upon the parties. The City of Oroville and the recognized employee organization shall take whatever action is necessary to carry out and effectuate the final Arbitration Board award and incorporate any amendments or modifications agreed to by the parties as provided above.

The expenses of any arbitration convened pursuant to this article, including the fee for the services of the Chairperson of the Arbitration Board, shall be borne equally by the parties. All other expenses which the parties may incur individually are to be borne by the party incurring such expenses.

E. Conflicts With Other Charter Provisions. This Article shall supersede all other provisions of the Oroville City Charter which may be in conflict with the requirements of this Article.

(Added by vote of the people, March 2, 2004)

Code of Ordinances