Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-9.1-3 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of July 2026
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As used in this chapter the following terms, unless the context requires a different interpretation, have the following meanings:

(1) “Corporate authorities” means the proper officials within any city or town whose duty or duties it is to establish the wages, salaries, rates of pay, hours, working conditions, and other terms and conditions of employment of firefighters, whether they are the mayor, city manager, town manager, town administrator, city council, town council, director of personnel, personnel board or commission, or by whatever other name or combination of names they may be designated.

(2) “Firefighter” means the permanent uniformed members, rescue service personnel of any city or town, emergency medical services personnel of any city or town, any fire dispatchers of any city or town, and all employees with the exception of fire chiefs of any paid fire department in any city or town within the state. No assistant chief, deputy chief, battalion chief, captain, or lieutenant shall be excluded from the collective bargaining solely by virtue of his or her title or position.

(3) “Unresolved issues” means any and all contractual provisions that have not been agreed upon by the bargaining agent and the corporate authorities within the thirty-day (30) period referred to in § 28-9.1-7. Any contractual provision not presented by either the bargaining agent or the corporate authority within the thirty-day (30) period shall not be submitted to arbitration as an unresolved issue; provided, that if either party or both parties are unable to present their respective proposals to the other party during the thirty-day (30) period, they shall have the opportunity to submit their proposals by registered mail by midnight of the 30th day from and including the date of their first meeting.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 8 cases, 1986–2018 · leading case: Arena v. City of Providence, 919 A.2d 379 (R.I. 2007).
Arena v. City of Providence, 919 A.2d 379 (R.I. 2007). · cites it 2× “” Section 28-9.1-3(2). Retired firefighters, like plaintiffs, no longer are “permanent uniformed members” of the fire department.”
Rhode Island State Labor Relations Bd. v. Valley Falls Fire Dist., 505 A.2d 1170 (R.I. 1986). · cites it 2× “ublic policy of this state to accord to the permanent uniformed members and all employees of any paid fire department in any city or town all of the rights of labor other than the right to strike * * Although this section does not mention fire districts, the trial justice…”
Int'l Ass'n of Fire Fighters Local Union No. 5058 v. Gillette/Wright/Campbell Cnty. Fire Prot. Jt. Powers Bd., 421 P.3d 1059 (Wyo. 2018). “1-3(2) (2018) (" 'Fire fighter' means the permanent uniformed members, rescue service personnel of any city or town, emergency medical services personnel of any city or town, any fire dispatchers of any city or town, and all employees with the exception of fire chiefs of any…”
Lime Rock Pire Dist. v. Rhode Island State Labor Relations Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). · cites it 5× “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
Lime Rock Fire Dist. v. Ri State Labor Rel. Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). · cites it 5× “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
Town of North Providence v. Local 2334, Int'l Ass'n of Firefighters, 725 A.2d 888 (R.I. 1998). · cites it 2× “Furthermore, the police chief in Lincoln Lodge had no power to appoint, remove, or promote police officers, and several of the chiefs actions had to be approved by the town administrator and the town counsel. Id. at 716.”
Town of North Kingstown v. Int'l Ass'n of Firefighters, Local 1651 AFL-CIO (R.I. 2015). · cites it 3× “2d at 54 ; see § 28-9.1-3(3). However, in light of the union’s failure to timely submit any unresolved issues (i.”
City of East Prov. v. R.I. State Assoc. (Sup. Ct. R.I. 2009). “) See Sections 28-9.1-3(3),-6,-7,-13. *Page 7 CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, the Court declines to issue a declaratory judgment in this case.”
R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-9.1-3(2): 5 cases
Arena v. City of Providence, 919 A.2d 379 (R.I. 2007). “” Section 28-9.1-3(2). Retired firefighters, like plaintiffs, no longer are “permanent uniformed members” of the fire department.”
Int'l Ass'n of Fire Fighters Local Union No. 5058 v. Gillette/Wright/Campbell Cnty. Fire Prot. Jt. Powers Bd., 421 P.3d 1059 (Wyo. 2018). “1-3(2) (2018) (" 'Fire fighter' means the permanent uniformed members, rescue service personnel of any city or town, emergency medical services personnel of any city or town, any fire dispatchers of any city or town, and all employees with the exception of fire chiefs of any…”
Town of North Providence v. Local 2334, Int'l Ass'n of Firefighters, 725 A.2d 888 (R.I. 1998). “Furthermore, the police chief in Lincoln Lodge had no power to appoint, remove, or promote police officers, and several of the chiefs actions had to be approved by the town administrator and the town counsel. Id. at 716.”
Lime Rock Pire Dist. v. Rhode Island State Labor Relations Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
Lime Rock Fire Dist. v. Ri State Labor Rel. Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-9.1-3(3): 4 cases
Lime Rock Pire Dist. v. Rhode Island State Labor Relations Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
Lime Rock Fire Dist. v. Ri State Labor Rel. Bd., 673 A.2d 51 (R.I. 1996). “) § 28-9.1-3 et seq., The Fire Fighters Arbitration Act so called, a financial town meeting has the authority to abolish the positions of all employees in a particular class after having bargained collectively with them in the past and with whom negotiations for a new contract…”
Town of North Kingstown v. Int'l Ass'n of Firefighters, Local 1651 AFL-CIO (R.I. 2015). “2d at 54 ; see § 28-9.1-3(3). However, in light of the union’s failure to timely submit any unresolved issues (i.”
City of East Prov. v. R.I. State Assoc. (Sup. Ct. R.I. 2009). “) See Sections 28-9.1-3(3),-6,-7,-13. *Page 7 CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, the Court declines to issue a declaratory judgment in this case.”
R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-9.1-3(b): 1 case
Rhode Island State Labor Relations Bd. v. Valley Falls Fire Dist., 505 A.2d 1170 (R.I. 1986). “ublic policy of this state to accord to the permanent uniformed members and all employees of any paid fire department in any city or town all of the rights of labor other than the right to strike * * Although this section does not mention fire districts, the trial justice…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.