Opinion ID: 163283
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The rideout “requirement”

Text: A rideout is an assistant to a district chief and is in charge of the fire district when the district chief is unavailable. Plaintiffs allege that because of their union activity, they have been denied the opportunity to become rideouts, which in turn has resulted in their exclusion from the promotion process for the position of district chief in the suppression division, regardless of anything contained in the CBA. (Plaintiffs do not allege that service as a rideout is a prerequisite to promotion to district chief in the Department’s support division. Because Major Hanson sought promotion only within the support division, he does not base his claim on his failure to be appointed a rideout.) Plaintiffs assert that certain rideouts are groomed for the position of district chief, and improperly receive special training and testing materials not provided to other firefighters. -21- They contend, and Defendants apparently do not dispute, that every firefighter who has been promoted to the position of district chief in suppression during Chief Marrs’ tenure has served as a rideout at one time in his career. What Plaintiffs have failed to do, however, is present any evidence that their union activity played a role in their failure to be selected as rideouts. To begin with, Plaintiffs have failed to present competent evidence that Chief Marrs played a role in their non-selection. Under the CBA the Department’s district chiefs have the right to select their own rideouts. As evidence that Chief Marrs actually selects which firefighters will be rideouts, Plaintiffs point only to the previously mentioned affidavits of other union activists in the Department. Each affidavit states, with minor variations, that “to the best of [the affiant’s] recollection and belief. . . [he has] observed circumstances establishing that” Chief Marrs gives “instructions or input or approval” to district chiefs regarding whom to select as rideouts. Aplts’ App. 547; see also App. 544; 545; 549; 551. Such conclusory statements, unsupported by facts, must be disregarded on summary judgment. Murray, 45 F.3d at 1422; Tavery, 32 F.3d at 1427 n.4. Nor is there any other evidence connecting Plaintiffs’ union activity to their failure to be appointed rideout. Plaintiffs’ testimony on the matter is limited to unsupported conclusions. Major Henson noted an occasion on which a district chief reneged on a promise to select him as a rideout, and then speculated, “I -22- figure[d] it’s just like a lot of the other things, you know. The guy is a union guy, just overrule him.” Aplts’ App. at 536-37. Major Weaver testified that he had expressed an interest to various district chiefs about becoming a rideout, but was never selected or given a reason why. He concluded that he was not selected because of his union activity. Likewise, Major Lunow offered his own unsupported conclusion that he was not chosen because he was active in the union. Because they did not offer competent evidence that their union activity was a motivating factor behind their failure to be selected as rideouts, Majors Lunow, Henson, and Weaver cannot rely on that non-selection as a basis for their freedom-of-association claims.