Excerpts from the OakLawnleaf.com:

The contentious battle between organized labor and Mayor Sandra Bury’s administration reached another battleground level last week when the Oak Lawn Firefighters’ union filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court after the administration notified the union of proposed contract language.

The administration exchanged final offers with the union on June 1, 2016 and at that time notified the union that it intended to include a new provision in its labor contract addressing residency that states:

All bargaining unit members hired before the issuance of Arbitrator Bierig’s award are required to establish residency within the State of Illinois within six months of the issuance of his decision. All bargaining unit members hired on or after the issuance of the Arbitrator bierig’s award are required to establish residency within (50) miles of Village Hall….within six months…

The union’s lawsuit seeks an order from the court that states that the village is “precluded from imposing residency requirements on bargaining unit employees hired prior to the Arbitrator’s award”.

The union has cited Illinois State Statutes that state residency requirements cannot be made more restrictive for employees after they are already serving in the department. The union, in its filing, noted that the Village of Oak Lawn has not had a residency requirement on any of the current employees and therefore any new rule would be “more restrictive” and in violation of Illinois Law and “contrary to its authority under the Illinois Constitution”.

The lawsuit was reportedly served upon the Village of Oak Lawn on August 3rd and seeks a declaratory judgment. In addition to the union, the named plaintiffs are Fire Captain William Roser, Engineer Timothy Radke, and Firefighter/Paramedic Todd Stanford.

Roser has served the village since April of 1992 and has lived in Munster, Indiana for 24 years in a home he owns. Radke, has served the village since May of 1993 and has lived in Munster, Indiana in a home he owns for the past 21 years. Stanford has served the village since May of 1997 and has lived in Crown Point, Indiana in a home he has owned for the past 19 years.

Under the Village of Oak Lawn’s proposal, those employees would have to sell their homes and move into Illinois. The village has the right to answer the allegations or make a motion to dismiss the complaint within 28 days of service.

The lawsuit also seeks attorney’s fees and costs for filing the lawsuit. The issue of legal costs, related to the fire department, has long been a contentious one during the term of Village Manager Larry Deetjen. The Village of Oak Lawn, in response to a Freedom of Information request, recently confirmed that it has spent over $500,000 to two different law firms for litigation with the firefighters. Smith, Clark, and Baird has received $214,936.38 since December of 2014, while the Village Attorneys, Peterson, Johnson, and Murray have received the remainder dating back to the beginning of Mayor Sandra Bury’s entry into office.

Trustee Robert Streit said the spending is over $1 million dollars dating back to the time when Deetjen was hired.

thanks Dan

The complaint can be viewed HERE