Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com: The Elgin firefighters' union has raised concerns with the city after three of its members were ordered to cut their hair, a symbolic gesture they had been using to protest the 25-month absence of a collective bargaining agreement. Vince Rychtanek, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 439, along with Vice President Edward Hanson and Shop Steward Joe Villella, began growing their hair in early 2015 as a form of peaceful protest. The issue remains under arbitration, with the union arguing that changes to grooming policies should have been discussed through collective bargaining. Rychtanek explained that all three firefighters were told to cut their hair by their superiors. Villella complied first, followed by Rychtanek and Hanson last week. While the complaint dated February 9 does not focus on hair length itself, it highlights the lack of communication between the department and the union regarding policy changes. "We were all ordered to cut our hair. We’re not going to disobey an order," Rychtanek said. "Grooming policies, across the country, are considered a mandatory subject for negotiation." Fire Chief John Fahy confirmed that the department's policy requires members to maintain a "neat and clean" appearance. However, he clarified that the order to cut hair applied only to Edward Hanson, who initially refused. Villella had already cut his hair earlier in the year after a conversation with a former assistant chief, while Rychtanek complied after being asked by his battalion chief. Fahy described the situation as one of appearance rather than a broader issue. "Rychtanek’s and Hanson’s hair got pretty out of hand—shaggy, unkempt, long," he said. "Their battalion chiefs told them, 'You got to meet the policy.'" He added that fire departments across the country have varying grooming standards, from basic rules like Elgin’s to more detailed regulations about hair length, piercings, and tattoos. "We don’t have a hair problem within the Elgin Fire Department," Fahy said. "We have 133 members, and we have three members that are angry about the process of arbitration." Rychtanek agreed that the issue is fundamentally about the stalled contract. "Ultimately, we want (the city) to sit down and negotiate the contract," he said. "It’s not that we want to grow our hair long." The contract is currently in arbitration due to a disagreement over minimum staffing levels. "It’s despicable that firefighters have gone over two years without a contract," Rychtanek said. "It’s in arbitration, just like every one of the contracts except one on the 23 years I’ve been on the job. It’s the way the city negotiates—they arbitrate." Thanks Dan Interlocking Stitches,Multifunction, Stitch Length and Tension Control Zhejiang Lejiang Machine Co., Ltd. , https://www.cnlejiang.com
June 26, 2025