Labor-Management Relations

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Fort Campbell Army Base firefighters' allegations of unsafe working conditions and unfair labor practices to determine: (1) the firefighters' job-related concerns; (2) actions taken by the Fort Campbell chain-of-command in response to those concerns; and (3) additional steps warranted to deal with the situation.

GAO found that: (1) from August 1986 through September 1990, civilian firefighters and their union filed 19 unfair labor practice charges, 7 grievances, and 1 complaint of an unsafe working condition; (2) the fire chief was named more frequently than any other individual in 17 of the 19 unfair labor practices charges and in 21 of the 24 affidavits; (3) from April 1987 to July 1990, 24 firefighters reported a total of 33 personal injuries resulting from training exercises; (4) by December 1990, Fort Campbell management had worked with the union and firefighters to resolve all 19 unfair labor practice charges; (5) Fort Campbell management took steps to improve communication and working relationships between fire department management, the firefighters, and the unions; and (6) the union president and the installation commander discussed adding provisions in the union agreement specifically covering the firefighters' working conditions.