Colorado Springs firefighters union petitioning for collective bargaining over pay

The union representing Colorado Springs firefighters filed a petition with the city last week indicating it intends to seek collective bargaining status.

The petition was signed by 80 percent of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 5's members, president Dave Noblitt said.

Collective bargaining has been a right of firefighters in the state since 2013, when the Colorado Firefighter Safety Act was passed. Since then, departments in Denver, Fort Collins, Aurora and Pueblo have earned the status, according to their websites. But Colorado Springs doesn't seem to want to follow suit, Noblitt said.

He referenced a recent comment from Mayor John Suthers' administration to The Independent, which first reported on the petition, in which the city said it appeared "the process may conflict in important ways with the City's Home Rule Charter and ordinances and fundamental principles governing election matters."

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