An attempt to privatize the fire department in the tiny suburb of North Riverside was dealt a setback when an administrative judge ruled the village could not cancel its contract with union firefighters.
Facing a payout of $1.8 million for police and firefighter pensions last year, village officials cut off contract negotiations with the union and planned to enter a deal for fire protection with a private company. The move touched off lawsuits and labor grievances, with union leaders notching a key victory last week in proceedings with the state Labor Relations Board. State law does not allow the village to unilaterally break its contract with North Riverside Firefighters Local 2714, Administrative Law Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal wrote in a proposed order. A related lawsuit by the village still is pending in state appellate court, and Hamburg-Gal’s decision on the union’s unfair labor practices complaint still must be endorsed by the Labor Relations Board. But North Riverside Mayor Hubert Hermanek said Wednesday that privatizing firefighter jobs was no longer the village’s top priority.