Description | Volume_Issue | Year | Month | PDF |
Today we consider whether releasing only the name and address of a patient, without
any health information attached, does not per se violate HIPAA; the minutes of board meetings; whether certain positions “belong” in the union; the donation of buildings to burn; maintaining fire hydrants; and the purchase of fire engines and used equipment under the public bid laws.
| 05-08 | 2005 | 8 | v05n08aug2005.pdf |
We now discuss a decision of the Public Employment Relations Commission, of which the Firehouse Lawyer is a former commissioner, involving the duty to bargain supplemental pensions; the 90-day statute of limitations for vacation of arbitration awards; handicap discrimination and the duty to accommodate disabilities; the preemption of state law by FLSA; the requirement under the FMLA that the employer give notice of a requirement for medical certification; the 296-305 requirements for Washington fire departments in live-structure firefighting. | 02-11 | 1998 | 11 | v02n11nov1998.pdf |
This is a hot issue, no pun intended: The Washington Public Employment Relations Commission recently delivered a crucial decision governing when minimum staffing is a mandatory subject of bargaining; the Washington Supreme Court rendered an opinion governing when neglectful actions may constitute a "violation of the oath of office" for purposes of a recall petition; finally, we shed light on a very important decision from a Washington Court of Appeals pertaining to when the Washington Constitution provides an exemption from the Public Records Act disclosure requirements. | 15-11 | 2017 | 11 | November2017FINAL.pdf |
Public-employee unions are now unable to collect "fair share" fees from members of a bargaining unit who do not wish to be associated with a union, due to the Janus opinion from the United States Supreme Court. | 16-6E | 2018 | 6 | June2018Janus.pdf |
The Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) recently issued a decision stating that an employer may not insist on holding collective bargaining sessions in an open public meeting, and a union may not insist on holding a bargaining session in private. | 16-10E | 2018 | 10 | October2018FINAL.pdf |
This Thanksgiving, be thankful for your management rights, but be wary of a recent Court of Appeals decision regarding when minimum staffing constitutes a mandatory subject of bargaining; we also consider a Washington Supreme Court case involving the Public Records Act and the Washington Constitution. | 17-11 | 2019 | 11 | November2019FINAL.pdf |
Today we consider an important case from the Washington Supreme Court involving collective bargaining; we also discuss EMTALA and federal grant rules applicable to publicly bid contracts. We also include a link to our next Municipal Roundtable on Fire Department Finances, taking place January 6! | 20-12 | 2022 | 12 | December2022FINAL.pdf |