Mission fire union president says grievance against chief resolved

Mission Fire Fighters Association Local 3609 President Mike Silva said Tuesday that a grievance he’d filed this month against Fire Chief Adrian Garcia had been resolved and no longer feels communication lapses in the department are worth discussing anymore.

 

Silva filed a grievance against Garcia on Aug. 3 claiming the chief had failed to communicate adequately with employees this summer in violation of a meet and confer agreement the city signed with the union just three months ago.

 

Conducted on the heels of the city transitioning to a fire-based EMS program, the union’s negotiations with the city over the meet and confer agreement were sometimes tense, but ended on a harmonious note.

 

 

 

The agreement reached includes a provision establishing a labor-management committee meant to foster communication between the city and the union about things like working conditions and safety.

 

Silva alleged in his grievance that Garcia violated that provision by failing to communicate with the union for the entirety of July about “pressing issues.”

 

Silva wrote that there were “unresolved matters raised through the chain of command and the lack of communications have demoralize (sic) the staff.”

 

“This ongoing lack of engagement is detrimental to morale and undermines the effectiveness of our operations,” he wrote.

 

In particular, Silva criticized Garcia for failing to communicate with the union about interfacility EMS transfers.

 

“A recent point of concern is the proposal for Interfacility Transfers (IFTs), which has reportedly been presented to the City Manager. It is troubling that this proposal was developed and advanced without input from the affected staff,” he wrote. “This lack of communication has fueled uncertainty and speculation within the department, with critical details — such as the hospitals involved, operating hours, staffing requirements, and service levels—left ambiguous.”

 

Silva demanded more communication across the board between department leadership and staff, including discussions on interfacility transfers and “any other outstanding issues.”

 

In a response sent to Silva on Aug. 13, Garcia agreed that there’d been communication problems this summer.

 

“Regarding the concerns about communication in July 2024, I acknowledge that there were challenges during that month,” he wrote “As you know, July was particularly busy due to several external factors, including participation in external training, preparations for the FY2025 Budget City Manager review, and added Emergency Management responsibilities due to Hurricanes Alberto and Beryl. These factors contributed to delays in communication, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

 

Garcia encouraged Silva to reach out to him directly in the event of poor communication in the future and said he was committed to improving communication. He also addressed the concern over interfacility transfers.

 

“As I previously mentioned, the document provided to you on August 6, 2024, during the Budget Workshop with Council Members at the Mission City Community Room, is a Business Plan,” he wrote. “The purpose of this plan is to assist City Management and Council Members in determining whether they would like to proceed with the IFT program.

 

 

It is not a finalized or implemented plan but rather a framework for discussion and decision-making.”

 

Silva declined Wednesday to talk on the phone about the grievance and declined to say how the city had addressed his concerns.

 

“Like I said it’s resolved. No story here!” he said via text.

 

Garcia, who did speak on the phone Tuesday, was unaware Silva viewed the grievance as resolved. He said he was waiting to see if Silva pressed his complaints to a higher level.

 

Silva, who complained about a lack of transparency in his grievance, said he doesn’t think his concerns are worth publicizing.

 

“Isn’t there anything else better to run? I mean all the [Progress Times] does is try hard to create a story & drama. Like maybe you should report how awesome Mission’s firefighters are!” he wrote.

 

During meet and confer negotiations earlier this year, Silva complained about the fire department failing to respond to concerns from the union, describing the issue as persistent and deserving immediate attention.

 

On Tuesday, however, Silva said he didn’t feel like communication lapses and the city potentially violating its agreement with the union warranted a lot of attention — at least not enough to warrant media coverage.

 

Silva said coverage of the grievance he filed would just stir up “drama” and be “irrelevant.”

 

“And again, that’s where you are wrong,” he wrote. “That is why I say your stories are horrible and attempt to create drama. But you do what you feel like writing. The city didn’t fail anything. Please stop with the nonsense. Our city council has been nothing but supportive.”