Duluth’s Fire Chief, Deputy Chief Officially Censured By Union

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Fire Chief Dennis Edwards and his deputy chief, Shawn Krizaj, have been formally censured by the Duluth Firefighters Local 101.

The vote was made by 1,800 delegates Wednesday at the International Association of Firefighters Convention.

The union believes Edwards and Krizaj have violated the collective bargaining agreement and created a divisive work environment by their actions, which has led to low morale among firefighters, according to Pete Johnson, union president.

The union says Edwards has even threatened to eliminate the jobs of the assistant fire chiefs.

“Local 101 hopes the censure, unanimously approved this morning by 1800 convention delegates, sends a message to the chiefs that we take anti-union behavior seriously. At the same time, we stand ready to work together to identify and solve fire department challenges,” Local 101 said in a statement.

The city, however, believes those assistant chief positions should be considered supervisors and should not be in the same union of the employees they watch over.

“The move follows the city’s application to the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services for a determination that the fire department’s Assistant Chiefs – who are also members of IAFF Local 101 – are in fact “supervisory employees” under the Minnesota Public Employee Labor Relations Act. The Minnesota Public Employment Labor Relations Act prohibits supervisory employees from being in the same bargaining unit as the employees who they supervise.  The BMS is set to hear the city’s application at an administrative hearing on August 21. Duluth is currently the only Minnesota city of the first class that operates without a separate supervisory unit within its management structure other than a chief and deputy chief. The Duluth Fire Department is a 143-person organization with separate divisions spanning fire operations, prevention, administration and life safety. The current management structure does not reflect public safety organizational best practices,” the city said in a statement.

Chief Edwards provided the following statement through the mayor’s office: “I have committed my entire career to the public’s safety and the wellness and safety of my colleagues. I’ve done this through initiatives and innovations in my time as Fire Chief and my entire 27 years of public service. I will continue to work with Duluth Firefighters to maintain and improve the excellent and trusted service that the public expects and that the Duluth Fire Department provides.”