Illinois Local Files Unfair Labor Practice Over Grooming Policy
Firefighters in Elgin, Illinois have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the city over the fire department’s enforcement of a grooming policy with regard to three union officials who were growing their hair to protest 25 months without a collective bargaining agreement.
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 439 filed the ULP with the Illinois Labor Relations Board last week after President Vince Rychtanek, Vice President Edward Hanson, and Shop Steward Joe Villella were ordered to cut their hair. The trio began letting their hair grow last spring to protest the lack of a collective bargaining agreement. Their last contract expired in January, 2014.
Local 439 and the city have been in arbitration for months. The ULP alleges that the city made unilateral changes to the grooming policy without bargaining with the firefighters.
The Daily Herald quoted Vice President Rychtanek as saying:
- “We were all ordered to cut our hair. We’re not going to disobey an order.”
- “Grooming policies, nationwide they are understood to be a mandatory subject of bargaining. Whether it’s firefighters’ hair or cocktail waitresses and what dress they wear, those are subject to mandatory bargaining.”
- “Ultimately, we want (the city) to sit down and negotiate the contract. It’s not that we want to grow our hair long.”
- “It’s despicable that firefighters have gone over two years without a contract,” he said. “It’s in arbitration, just like every one of the contracts except one on the 23 years I’ve been on the job. It’s the way the city negotiates — they arbitrate.”
When I started my career, in the 1970’s the hair length issue was discussed in the publications, with some cases listed in the “Trade Publications” of the day.
The Vietnam era Veterans coming into the fire service were challenging the grooming codes over hair length.
Its 40 years later and this issue is still around?
If hair length is such and issue, then instead of just “punching trough it” like they seem to want to do, is to agree to cut it and donate it to a wig manufacturer who will make it into a hair piece for cancer patients.
That’s what one of my co-workers did, when he was upset with management.