Reference no: EM132280947

In 2009, the Goodyear Fire Department management team attempted to institute a clean slate bid process. The clean slate bid essentially removed everyone from their assigned units and basically hit the reset button. People had bid their positions through a fair and equitable process that had been approved through a labor-management process. This disrupted the property rights of individuals and furthermore, their strategic maneuvering and calculated decision making that put them in their current assignments. This clean slate bid was manufactured under the cover of darkness by some unilateral decision makers and without input from the labor organization representing the members.

During this period of time, the labor and management relationship was fractured. The union sent a certified letter to the management team warning them that they intended to dispute their efforts. Some managers thoroughly disagreed with the idea, but one very influential and difficult chief officer convinced the fire chief to follow through with the process. The clean slate bid process was introduced and at the conclusion of the bid, after people had been placed in their new homes, the union filed a grievance for a violation of the contract and after it worked through the process, approximately three months later, the union won the grievance and overturned the clean slate bid. This forced everyone to return back to their original assignments and cost the City thousands of dollars in overtime, and the fire department management team egg on their face.

What could have been done differently?