Firefighters with the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District have officially voted to leave the Newport chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The result of the vote was announced Friday, Jan. 10 by the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Yachats firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics voted to join the IAFF in August 2018, for the first time seeking union representation to bargain on salary and working conditions. But talks in 2018-2019 were slow and never got very far and firefighters became impatient and dissatisfied with the union.
Two firefighters filed a petition Oct. 17 to hold a union decertification vote, which was held by mail Dec. 13-27. The ERB had four ballots returned. The Newport chapter of the IAFF did not contest the election and it was certified as official last Friday.
Now it will be up to the fire district’s board to determine pay and other issues dating back 18 months. It had been setting aside money since 2018 in order to pay salaries if and when there was a union contract.