AUBURN – The city and its firefighters are poised to sign a new contract.
On Monday, the City Council is scheduled to vote on the compromise agreement, which would give firefighters their sought-after raise and prevent the city manager from again re-opening a contract without the agreement of the union.
“Without that, I don’t know if this would have passed,” said Mike Scott, president of the Auburn Firefighters Association Local 797.
Instead, the bargain overwhelmingly passed in a 36-8 union vote last Wednesday. Passage by the council would put an end to the contentious contract negotiations, which included a lawsuit and picketing outside Auburn Hall.
Both Scott and City Manager Patricia Finnigan credited a mediator with moving the discussion along and keeping both sides working.
“Before the mediator came, I think we were talking but not listening,” Finnigan said.
The compromise, which does not address the still-complicated issue of overtime pay, was not perfect for either side.
“We can live with this,” Scott said. “We can survive.”
Firefighters have been working without a contract since last July. Discussions became contentious after Finnigan decided to open the former contract and take away firefighters’ agreed-upon group performance raise.
The new contract would restore a 3 percent group raise and a 3 percent individual hike, based upon individual performance.
Firefighters were also upset that they were being asked to pay higher co-pays and other charges for their health care coverage, part of a new plan for all city workers.
The new agreement keeps that plan in place, something to which firefighters adjusted, Scott said.
The proposed contract also includes wording that would formalize what happens in case of layoffs. Unless a catastrophic layoff happens, calling for the dismissal of 50 percent or more of firefighters, seniority will govern who will leave the department.
That isn’t expected to happen, though. In fact, the proposal defines the number of firefighters who must work with any truck as three.
Currently, the department employs 61 firefighters. The proposal would eliminate no jobs.
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