By Dan Judge
Vallejo Times Herald (California)
NAPA, Calif. — A last-ditch negotiating session successfully averted a strike by Piner’s Napa Ambulance Service employees only hours before the Friday morning deadline.
Piner’s and the National Emergency Medical Services Association union representing its 65 workers reached an agreement on a new contract late Thursday night.
By Friday morning it was business as usual at the ambulance service, which covers all of Napa County including American Canyon.
“Actually, we all have smiley faces this morning,” said Piner’s General Manager Stewart Slipiec. “That’s different than what it’s been for the last week.”
Under the new agreement, Piner’s paramedics, technicians and dispatchers will receive an 8 percent raise over the next two-and-a-half years.
The ambulance company also withdrew its proposal to search employees’ vehicles if drug abuse is suspected.
Additionally, the contract addresses disputes over employee rotation. Supervisors will now rotate among the company’s seven stations every three months and the rest of the employees will stay at one station for nine months and relocate to another station the final three months.
One major sticking point was union security and allowing NEMSA representatives unrestricted access to employees to counter anti-union efforts by management, said NEMSA president Torren Colcord.
“The main issue was making sure the employees got to keep their union,” he said. “The employer was really holding to his guns and the (union) membership broke him by their unity and unwavering stance. This is really the emergency medical services workers’ victory.”
Jeremy Piner, operations manager for the ambulance service, declined to discuss specifics of the contract, but he seemed pleased with the outcome of negotiations as well.
“I think we came up with a pretty good deal for both sides,” he said.
Some residents of American Canyon’s mobile home parks, where Piner’s Ambulances can be a literal lifeline for seniors, voiced relief that the strike failed to materialize.
“I’m sure a lot of people from my park will be happy to hear that,” said Larry Asp, an Olympia MobiLodge of Napa resident. “They said we weren’t in any danger but I’m glad it’s all taken care of and everything is settled.”
Las Casitas mobile home park resident Betty Gardner admitted the prospect of a strike was “a little frightening” and she was glad the dispute was over.
“I’m happy it’s settled and I hope they were able to get what they wanted,” she said of the employees.
Napa County officials had been bracing for a possible strike that would have seen Piner’s operating with a reduced workforce and a contingency plan of seeking ambulance services from outside the county.