Whether Paducah city officials made the right move in suspending contract negotiations with the firefighters union will be debated on Monday and Tuesday in front of a three-member tribunal that includes former Mayor Albert Jones.

On Feb. 14, Mayor Bill Paxton ordered the negotiations stopped after firefighters. filed a potential multi-million dollar lawsuit against the city to collect back pay they claim is owed them. Six weeks later, the negotiations resumed for a day following a letter from the Kentucky Department of Labor that stated if an impasse is reached, a fact-finding committee can be formed to find out why.

Nothing came of that meeting, so the next step was to assemble a tribunal,
which will hear both sides in an open meeting and give a recommendation that city commissioners and Paxton will have the final say on.

International Association of Firefighters Local 168 President Barry Carter and his fellow union members hope the tribunal sides with them, thus putting outside pressure on the commission to resume collective bargaining.

"I hope they find a middle ground that we can settle on," Carter said. "We think it'll show who's right and who's wrong .... We've never been through this before."

Paxton contends that if a court ruling orders millions of dollars paid to firefighters, that money will have to come from the taxpayers, which would mean less money for other expenses, such as potential benefits granted through a union contract. The current contract expires June 31.

City Manager Jim Zumwalt and Paxton asked Jones to be the city's representative on the tribunal, and he agreed, saying Wednesday that "I thin-k I'd have been an ingrate ... in didn't give something back to the community."

Jones' son, Tim Jones, is currently a firefighter. Zumwalt said that played a role in Albert Jones being selected.

"It was considered, and the conclusion was that it adds to Albert's knowledge of the issues, and it adds to his credibility as a member of the panel," Zumwalt said. "And based on the knowledge of those of us who worked with him - his balance and judgment of the welfare of employees and taxpayers - we felt he'd be a good representative.

"It brought as many positives as it did negatives."

Asked whether sympathy toward the firefighters' cause was one of the negatives, Zumwalt said, "Definitely," and noted that Jones "has been concerned about the working man and woman," including during his time as a member of the state legislature.

Paducah attorney Tod Megibow was picked by the firefighters, and the third member - Carrie Donald, an associate professor in the Department of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Louisville - was appointed by the labor department after negotiations were halted.

Carter said Megibow has no ties to the department. "We picked someone ... that would be impartial."

The firefighters will receive advice and support from Paul Hufnagel, the president of the Michigan Professional Firefighters Union. Carter said Hufnagel was picked because he often represents firefighters during fact-finding sessions nationwide.

City attorney David Denton estimated the potential cost of the lawsuit at $6 million, based on precedents in other cities where firefighters sued over similar pay issues.
Jones said the fire contract has not changed much over the years. He said he has casually followed recent issues involving the firefighters and the city, but he's going into Monday's meeting unsure why an impasse was reached.

He compared the all-day open meetings to a court of appeals hearing, which discusses the issues but doesn't make a concrete ruling.