Dolton firefighters have a contract after working without one for the last four years, and the head of their union said a change in negotiating partners sealed the deal.
The labor pact was announced Thursday at a special Village Board meeting, where four trustees who have battled Mayor Tiffany Henyard were joined by a fifth trustee who has been a staunch ally of the mayor.
Trustees voted to put a temporary freeze on travel by village elected officials to curb costs, and said they hope to have a new village budget hashed out in about a month, although they warned job cuts are a real possibility.
Board members also voted to fire Lewis Lacey, who was deputy police chief. The board voted in early August to place Lacey on administrative leave pending an investigation, but he continued to report to work.
Trustees also cemented the position of Keith Freeman as village administrator, despite attempts by Henyard to fire him and name a replacement.
Trustee Stan Brown was greeted with cheers and applause as he walked into the Dolton Park District’s Lester Long Fieldhouse, where the meeting took place. Trustees at odds with Henyard have been locked out of Village Hall and have had to rely on Park District buildings to hold meetings.
“Your concerns are my priority,” Brown said shortly after the meeting got underway. “I’m here for all the residents. There’s work to be done.”
He said village “trustees need to get together and do some hardcore talking.”
Trustee Kiana Belcher announced the firefighter contract toward the end of the meeting, saying it will be in effect through 2027.
Firefighters had gone five years without pay raises and have worked the last four years without a contract, according to fire Lt. Adam Farej, president of Local 3766 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Belcher said trustees are “doing what’s right for the community and make the firefighters whole.”
Farej said the union had about 20 negotiating sessions with village administrators, including Henyard, that failed to produce an agreement.
The union recently began dealing directly with trustees and attorney Michael McGrath, a partner in the law firm that has represents the board on legislative and other matters.
Farej said it took just two negotiating sessions to come to terms.
“It’s fair and equal across the board,” he said.
He said when village administration was leading the talks, Henyard would sometimes run late or not show up at all.
“I honestly didn’t know if we would ever get one,” Farej said. “It was a long, dragged-out operation.”
Then, working directly with trustees, “it was great,” he said.
Full terms of the agreement were not immediately available, but Farej said it includes retroactive pay raises.
He said there are 15 firefighters in the bargaining unit, though the number should be at least 21. He said the department at one time had 24 firefighters, and they staff two stations.
Farej said working without pay raises or contract was difficult.
“We went through COVID without raises,” he said. “We have a group of stand-up gentlemen. We went above and beyond.”
Trustee Jason House, serving as board president pro tem for the meeting, said he and other trustees are working on a budget they hope to finalize within a few weeks and present to community members for input.
“This is a very pivotal budget,” he said, noting it “will include some expense reductions” and there could be layoffs.
The village’s fiscal year began May 1 and so far there has been no discussion on a spending plan for the budget year.
If that task alone wasn’t big enough, House said the village learned recently that it’s being dropped by its bank, but he said he is hopeful a new banking agreement with another institution will be secured within a month.
“Any debt owed by the village will be paid,” House said.
Trustees also approved a temporary moratorium on travel by elected officials, aimed squarely at Henyard, who credit card records show has traveled extensively around the country, generally accompanied by other officials and village staff. During those trips they’ve opted for luxury accommodations and fine dining, credit card records obtained by the Daily Southtown show.
“All of these trips, all of these hotel stays, traveling to these conferences and bringing home absolutely nothing,” Belcher said of the mayoral jaunts. “We have to be more diligent on how we are spending our money.”
mnolan@southtownstar.com
