SPRINGFIELD — As American Medical Response employees gear up for a strike on Sunday evening, local agencies are putting contingencies in place.
AMR, which provides EMT and paramedic services in Springfield and Greenfield, said its employees are planning to strike this weekend over the “picket line clause.” The clause, which the union is hoping will be approved, would allow AMR employees to refuse to cross other unions’ picket lines unless there is a dire need for help.
AMR has advised agencies, including the Springfield police and fire departments and Baystate Medical Center, that there will be no interruption in the company’s services.
Bernard J. Calvi, the fire commissioner for the Springfield Fire Department, has concerns.
“It is crucial that citizens receive the service they expect to see during calls,” said Calvi.
The fire department is “making sure extra steps are taken to prepare in case we have to do more,” he said.
Calvi explained that all firefighters in the department are trained first responders and can spring into action during emergency calls.
Baystate Health also said it was aware of the planned strike and has plans in place to “ensure the continuity of care,” according to an emailed statement.
“Our priority remains providing high-quality, safe care for our community,” the hospital said.
Springfield’s mayor, Domenic J. Sarno, said he hopes that a settlement will be reached “given the fact that people need these services in life-threatening situations.”
“After speaking with AMR representatives we do not anticipate any service disruption in our city,” Springfield Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said. “And we have other companies that provide services in our city in the event that AMR is unavailable and they assist regularly.”
The company says it has contingencies in place in case of a strike, including recruiting non-union AMR Massachusetts employees, non-union AMR EMTs and paramedics from nearby states and license leadership across the country for help.
The company said it will deploy outside personnel to Springfield on Saturday so they can be available for response.
“AMR’s schedule and staffing will be built off of a 12-hour model to meet the demand of the system,” an emailed statement said.
The company said it is taking measures to guarantee that each deployed employee is “an active clinician for AMR, has completed all AMR clinical and safety requirements, and meets all state Office of EMS requirements to meet the needs of the City of Springfield, Greenfield, and the Baystate Health System.”
NLRB charges
Contract negotiations between the Teamsters and AMR began July 1. According to AMR, the two parties have agreed on all but one piece of the contract: The “picket line clause.” Other contract items include pay, health care benefits and ratification bonuses.
The union filed charges against AMR with the National Labor Relations Board this fall over issues with negotiations, according to Bryan Donovan, the Teamsters Local 404 union representative for the AMR employees.
The Republican has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Labor Relations Board to see both the allegations and what the board determined.
Patrick Leonardo, regional director of AMR, said in an emailed statement that the company has been ready to give its employees “industry-leading wages and benefits,“ but “the union has been more worried about NLRB charges and strike notices.”
Donovan said two other Boston-area emergency services have successfully negotiated for the clause to be included in their contracts — Boston MedFlight and Armstrong Ambulance. Donovan said the union encouraged AMR to look at the language that was used in those agreements for the AMR contract.
AMR would not respond to whether it received contract language samples during negotiations about not crossing picket lines. “No other union has attempted to force this kind of language into any of those agreements, including other Teamsters contracts,” the company said in a statement. “We cannot speak to the Teamsters’ other contracts, but we can say that AMR will not agree to language that puts the patients we serve at risk. That should be a non-starter anywhere in health care.”
