The city says it's close to finalizing a contract deal with Metro EMS, but there's a new roadblock standing in the way. The mayor's crackdown on overtime pay could hold things up even further.
In a show of solidarity, dozens of union members showed up to Thursday evening's council meeting, and listened as one of its members addressed the council.
"Our families suffer with the fear of unknown, just as our counterparts do," said Chris Seelye, an EMS spokesman. "Our families suffer with missed family functions and holidays because of the ... profession we work, just as our city's other responders do."
Mayor Greg Fischer ordered a halt on contract talks with every agency until the overtime issue is resolved.
EMS says these delays are costly in more ways than one.
Two Louisville mayors, 18 months and counting and a contract with EMS appears to be on life support.
Todd Thomason, the Secretary-Treasurer for Teamsters Local Union 783 told WDRB Wednesday he hoped the issue would be resolved very soon.
"We've been patient but that relationship is getting strained," Thomason said.
But Mayor Greg Fischer said on Thursday:
"We'll have a contract when it's good for them and good for us. I'm not going to put a timeline on it."
Fischer put all contract talks on hold after his office discovered 550 employees had earned more than $15,000 in overtime since Jan 1. Much of that was paid to public safety departments, including EMS.
"If we've got to stop for a couple of weeks a month and take a look at that before we execute the contract then I'm going to do that," Mayor Fischer said.
Mayor Fischer says the new contract will not address specifically how much a person gets in overtime, but will include provisions on how overtime is granted and who's eligible. Thomason says it will also address owed back pay to employees.
"When people call us, they expect us to respond in a hastily manner and that's kind of what we're asking for," Thomason said.