ROCHELLE – The Rochelle City Council has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Association of Firefighters Local 3445 to address staffing and training needs within the fire department. The agreement allows the city to keep positions vacant temporarily while new hires complete training, reducing overtime costs. Rochelle City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said it facilitates the return of a firefighter to employment by changing their resignation to an unpaid leave of absence.
“The hiring of additional firefighters is almost complete, but there is one vacancy,” he said. “The city had the opportunity to return a firefighter who was fully trained and fully certified back to employment with the city but needed union approval to do so since the hiring process to return the employee is by an exception in the CBA for an unpaid leave of absence, and we wanted to make sure the union wouldn’t grieve it.”
The MOU also updates the fire department’s staffing model to include the new Captain position and ensures the Lieutenant rank remains part of the union’s bargaining unit.
