PEORIA, Ill. — Engine 20 in North Peoria will be saved after Peoria City Council voted Tuesday night to settle an unfair labor practice lawsuit with Local 50, which represents the local fire department.
Per the agreement, the fire union will withdrawal it’s unfair labor practice lawsuit against the city.
In return, the city will keep ten engine companies, four truck companies and two battalion chiefs in effect through March 31 of next year.
The agreement also ensures that there will be no layoffs within the department until March 31.
The agreement passed with a 9-1 vote, with council member Zachary Oyler being the only “no” vote.
“I’m welcoming all of you to support this to save our tax payer’s dollars,” said council member Chuck Grayeb.
“There’s nothing nefarious about settling a lawsuit that will promote public safety, save dollars and stop unnecessary litigation. It’s called common sense.”
The expected settlement before the agreement was approximately $500,000 that the city would have had to pay to the union as a result of the unfair labor practice.
There had been multiple protests in front of station 20, where residents voiced their displeasure with the city voting to decommission two fire engines amid COVID-19 budget cuts.
Protest organizer, Jillian O’Dell, called the deal a Band-Aid solution, because the engine not immediately decommissioned would only be guaranteed to keep running through March 31, 2021.
