RI airport leaders fire union president TF Green

Council 94 has already filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Rhode Island Labor Relations Board, the union said.

“It is illegal to terminate the term of a sitting union president whose speech constitutes protected concerted action,” Michael McDonald, president of Council 94, said in a statement. “Council 94 will fight in every available forum the illegal and harassing airport tactics that violate Rhode Island labor law and federal labor law.”

RIAC’s statement came weeks after Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of RIAC, denied allegations that his management had created a toxic work environment and increased employee turnover at the travel center and instead he accused union management and disgruntled workers of being toxic among 150 airport employees.

Ahmad and other RIAC officials also vowed to investigate and possibly sue those disrupting airport operations, after claiming that rumors of an Aug. 13 employee strike cost the airport hundreds of thousands of dollars simply because outside contractors were present that day if employees stopped working.

Parent, president of Council 94 of Local 2873, a union representing about 113 workers, told the Globe on Monday evening he only found out about the potential dismissal after RIAC issued a statement to reporters.

“The allegations are false and I obviously intend to vigorously … fight the allegations,” Parent said.

After Tuesday’s hearing, Parent, who was recently re-elected president, said in an interview that he would continue in his union position and “will exercise all of his rights.”

“I sit as the union president and I oppose Iftikhar Ahmad. He doesn’t rule me,” Parent said. “…I push away and suffer from the anger of pushing away.”

He added: “What they did, OK, is they told the other members of Local 2873, ‘We have a guy upstairs. What do you think we can do to you?”

RIAC said Parent “repeatedly contacted potential job applicants for RIAC and discouraged them from working at the airport.”

The statement said the actions allegedly put the department at risk of failing to meet federal security requirements, adding that people contacted by Parent “came forward to describe their behavior in writing.”

RIAC officials also alleged that Parent admitted to calling potential employees.

“RIAC believes that, as an officer of the department, he knowingly and willfully engaged in efforts to sabotage airport operations and breached his fiduciary duties,” the statement read. “As an officer of the department, his actions constitute gross misconduct.”

During that time, officials say, Parent earned more than $52,000 in overtime – money he collected by covering shifts off due to empty positions in the department.

“As a lieutenant, he had direct influence over the overtime schedule and was therefore able to direct these shifts and associated payments to himself,” the statement read. “Additionally, Mr. Parent recently informed his superiors that he was conducting this activity ‘on his own behalf’ and not as union president.”

However, according to union members, when vacancies need to be filled, overtime in the department is allocated on a rotating basis and shifts are offered according to seniority. Members said supervisors – including lieutenants – assign shifts and follow this system.

The Globe obtained two briefs presented at Tuesday’s hearing, filed in support of RIAC’s decision to fire Parent.

One describes how Parent allegedly told a potential employee in March 2022 that he “‘Didn’t know why anyone would want to work for the fire department at TF Green Airport,’ or something like that.”

The second, dated Oct. 1, described an interaction that the parent allegedly took place in April when he asked someone if the new employee knew “what kind of environment he was in?”

McDonald said the union “will not stand by and allow our members to be publicly disparaged or disciplined without cause.”

“Council 94 will now take all appropriate contractual and/or legal actions to protect our members from RIAC,” McDonald said.

Duc Nguyen, RIAC’s senior vice president of operations, said in a statement Tuesday that Parent’s termination “was due to his failure to fulfill his fiduciary obligations.”

“Board 94’s contention that Mr. Parent should be able to engage in such conduct under the guise of ‘protected activity’ is an assumption that RIAC fundamentally rejects,” Nguyen said. “Membership in the Union does not provide an ‘invisible cloak’ that could interfere with our activities or public mission.”

The potential termination of the contract by the parent company is the latest conflict between RIAC management and TF Green employees.

Allegations about the airport’s work environment were included in several anonymous letters sent this summer to the media, public officials, airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that workers would walk off the job on Aug. 13 if no action was taken to address them. problems. How Warwick Lighthouse was first reported in August.

Ultimately, no employees left, and the parent said he was not aware of any union member being responsible for the letters. The parent also pointed to a clause in the union contract that prohibits union members from taking breaks from work.

Brittany Morgan, who heads legal affairs and human resources for RIAC, said earlier this month that RIAC had hired a law firm to find out who was behind the letters and possibly bring legal action against “individuals who subtly interfere with our business relations.

Last month, the union also voted to reject a new three-year contract with RIAC after the proposal would have removed the right to file a grievance if a job description was changed.

McDonald said Tuesday that the union does not condone or sanction any work stoppage and said it will “continue negotiations in good faith.”

“RIAC has consistently acted in bad faith, entered into employee replacement agreements, made unsubstantiated allegations and spread rumors,” McDonald said. “Public transport officials and the RIAC Board owe the public a higher level of service and integrity.”

Nguyen rejected these claims.

“None of these claims are true or accurate,” he said. “Regardless of today’s baseless claims, we will continue to negotiate in good faith at the negotiating table.”

This story was updated with new information after Tuesday’s hearing.

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Christopher Gavin can be reached at [email protected].