The leadership of the union representing Hawaii’s 2,000 firefighters has issued "a vote of no confidence" against Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves due to an increasingly strained relationship.
Robert Lee, president of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, said the unanimous vote of the union’s statewide executive board took place last month confidentially but that the board decided to tell its membership and the public when the situation worsened.
"I don’t think he has the ability to lead the Honolulu Fire Department," Lee told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Friday. Neves, Deputy Chief Lionel Camara Jr. and four assistant chiefs have continually ignored the rights of the union and its members, not consulted with the union and bypassed its authority on labor-related matters, and even violated the collective bargaining contract between the union and the city.
Neves, in a written statement, acknowledged disagreements with the union and said he will continue to try to work with employee representatives.The no-confidence vote against Neves is the first against any Hawaii fire chief in the union’s 51-year history, Lee said.
Neves became fire chief 13 months ago.
Lee, who has headed the firefighters union for more than a decade, said the union had supported Neves’ nomination as fire chief and that the no-confidence vote was not made lightly.
"We tried hard to work with him and support him, and even when we were running into problems, we tried to give him the benefit of the doubt," Lee said. But Neves has "not really recognized us as the exclusive representative for the firefighters," Lee said. Major changes in policy and procedure, including the way firefighters conduct themselves in the field, have been instituted without even consultation with union officials and sometimes in violation of the existing labor agreement, he said.
Union officials are learning of changes from firefighters in the field after the fact, and issues pop up "almost on a daily basis," he said.
He said it’s not clear whether it’s a case of the administrative team, made up largely of newly promoted chiefs, "being malicious or being ignorant."
The union will continue to try to work with Fire Department brass to resolve its issues, Lee said, and the union is not at the point where it is calling for Neves’ removal by the Honolulu Fire Commission, which is tasked with hiring and firing the chief. But the union now has "little or no faith" in management’s ability to do its job, Lee said.
Two Hawaii Labor Relations Board grievances filed by the union against the department in recent months highlight the conflict.
The first complaint, filed in October, charges Neves and the department with spreading misinformation among firefighters and blaming current union membership for blocking the chief’s initiatives. The complaint also alleges that Neves and top chiefs have tried to interfere with union elections by urging the members to vote out existing union leaders.
The complaint says the moves are in retaliation for the union’s refusal to give in to management demands for concessions on overtime tied to firefighter training.
The second complaint, filed this past week, alleges Neves and HFD management pressed employees to fill out a "work climate survey" without prior notice, consultation or negotiation with the union. The complaint charges Neves with trying to undermine the union’s no-confidence vote by attempting to garner survey results putting HFD management in a positive light.
Neves, in his statement to the Star-Advertiser, said he and his management team "are disappointed that the HFFA executive board feels it appropriate or necessary to express such a harsh opinion."
Neves added, "Obviously, the HFFA executive board disagrees with how we are running the department and is even alleging that labor laws have been broken. Those allegations can only be decided by the labor relations board or the courts."
The statement went on to say, "But just as certainly, this issue is not about how the department is being run but instead is about who is running the department." The chiefs will continue to discuss issues and concerns with the union, "even if its directors choose to challenge our authority to run the department," he said.
Lee told the Star-Advertiser that union officials met with Neves and top chiefs for several hours Thursday and agreed to meet again.
