Wickliffe Firefighters Ass'n, Local 1536 v. City of Wickliffe

Ford, Judge.

On June 22, 1987, appellee, the city of Wickliffe, enacted Ordinance No. 1987-28, which abolished the position of assistant fire chief. This action, which was ostensibly taken to make more effective use of the fire department’s manpower, was equivalent to action taken by appellee’s police department some years earlier.

Prior to the passage of the ordinance, the Wickliffe Fire Department consisted of a fire chief, an assistant fire chief, a captain, three lieutenants, and a number of fire fighters. The captain performed the duties of a shift lieutenant, which meant that he worked…