Equity And Inclusion Key In New Kansas City Fire Department Agreement

From the City of Kansas City:

June 10, 2021

The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the City and KCFD Local 42 includes changes that will build a more inclusive and supportive organization and eliminate discriminatory and racist practices of the past along with additional staffing changes to reduce overtime and improve response time.

The City Council unanimously approved the contract today and the membership of Local 42 has already voted in favor of the agreement.

"Our city’s new transformative contract, with the brave women and men of the Kansas City Fire Department, builds a fair and inclusive work culture for all, provides for more paramedics, supports hiring more diverse recruits, and maintains the exceptional service our great fire department provides," Mayor Quinton Lucas said. "I am proud to have worked with IAFF Local 42 to root out discrimination and to show how local collaboration and local accountability with Kansas City’s leadership is in the best interest of public safety for all Kansas Citians and the rank and file of our departments.''

“We are making structural changes that address the diversity, equity and inclusive issues that we have been working on,” said Fire Chief Donna Lake. “Putting these measures in the contract itself show that this is critical and important work for the department.”

One of the most significant changes is that “trades” are no longer permitted. The previous trades system raised questions of fairness because it allowed firefighters to trade posts among themselves, which favored family connections and often shut out newer, more diverse firefighters from climbing the ladder to better positions.

“International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42 is delighted to see the new Collective Bargaining Agreement has been approved by the City Council and is extremely grateful to see the level of support that our City Council members have again shown to the Fire Fighters, Emergency Medical Professionals and other support staff of the Kansas City Fire Department,” said IAFF President Tim Dupin. “We would like to thank City Manager Platt, Fire Chief Lake and the numerous other City staff that put so much time and effort into these negotiations. Local 42 is confident that the provisions in this Agreement will improve upon the already excellent Fire and EMS services provided to the residents and visitors of our City and, with continued work and dedication, will make the Kansas City Fire Department a much more attractive, inclusive and diverse place to work.”

Other important changes in the new CBA:

• Establishes a new KCFD Diversity and Recruitment Officer at the rank of Captain that will report to the City’s Chief Equity Officer
• KCFD will host a diversity recruitment drive. The plan will be presented in partnership with HRD this month.
• Required annual training related to diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, sexual harassment, leadership, and management.
• Creation of 6 focused DEI working groups made up of management, labor, and community leaders. They are charged with developing projects to positively impact the following areas: leadership, station culture/internal systems, community outreach, training/mentoring, recruitment, and promotional processes.
• Build a Fire Fighter/Paramedic Apprentice Program to attract more KC residents. This will increase diversity of applicants, pool of applicants, and provide opportunities for KC youth to receive paid training as a pipeline toward a rewarding career with KCFD.
• Non-Discrimination clause updated to include Gender Identity as a protected category

“The changes to the Local 42 CBA are some of several ways we are working to reduce discrimination, improve equity and create a more supportive and inclusive culture and workplace across the entire organization”, said City Manager Brian Platt. “We hope that we can build a workforce that better reflects the people we serve and that our work transcends beyond just the KCFD and into our communities at large.”

“I am excited about the collaborative work that has been done to ratify the CBA,'' said 5th District Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, who co-sponsored the legislation along with 3rd District Councilman-at-large Brandon Ellington. "I worked closely with City Manager Platt to ensure that the CBA is reflective and inclusive of all firefighters. This is a great foundation to further improve the KCFD.”

In addition to the firefighter’s contract, the city is taking several other important steps to improve equity across the organization:

• Creating the City’s first Chief Equity Officer who will report directly to the City Manager. The Chief Equity Officer will set policy, ensure support and inclusiveness of all employees, and accountability and adherence of rules and regulations.
• Hiring outside counsel, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP, to review all EEO issues set forth in the KC Star report as well as others that may warrant independent investigation and to recommend any other necessary policy changes. That contract will be reviewed in committee next week.
• The city’s Human Resources Department has created a new EEO division and is seeking to double the number of staff dedicated to investigations in order to reduce the time it takes to conduct investigations.
• All EEO complaints will be investigated directly by the HR department, and we will be adding an anonymous reporting option for employees citywide, including KCFD, to be able to report any possible HR/EEO issues.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.