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The city and its firefighters union yesterday announced tentative agreement on a new contract that would give the union's 8,900 members their first raise in more than three years.
The deal with the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) would boost the compensation of New York's Bravest by 17.5 percent over the length of the 50-month agreement, which would expire July 31, 2006.
If the new deal is ratified by the rank and file, firefighters would get a 5 percent increase retroactive to June 1, 2002, the date their previous contract expired. They also would receive a 5 percent increase retroactive to June 1, 2003; a 3 percent increase retroactive to Aug. 1, 2004, and a 3.15 percent increase retroactive to August 2005.
Because of the retroactivity of the raises, most UFA members would receive a lump-sum payment of $15,000 to $20,000 after the agreement is ratified, city and union officials said.
UFA members also will receive additional compensation in the form of a bigger uniform allowance and increased contributions to welfare funds for active and retired firefighters.
The city also has agreed to a five-year extension of the "roster staffing agreement," which requires the Fire Department to add an extra firefighter to dozens of engine companies throughout the city.
The staffing agreement will be extended to the year 2011 and will be expanded to cover 64 engine companies instead of the current 60, according to the terms of the tentative deal.
As has been the case with recent deals the city struck with other municipal unions, the firefighters have agreed to a number of concessions in exchange for the higher wages, including a lower starting salary for new hires.
Starting in January, new firefighters will be paid at a rate of $25,100 a year during the 13 weeks they are enrolled in the Fire Department's training academy on Randall's Island. Academy students are currently paid at a rate of about $36,000 a year.
Firefighters will earn $32,700 a year upon graduation from the academy and eventually will make the maximum firefighter salary of $63,309 per year. The current maximum is about $54,000 a year.
The UFA's other concessions include giving up 15 hours of annual leave time for each employee and agreeing to greater flexibility in scheduling.
The UFA also has agreed to support legislation requiring former police and correction officers who join the Fire Department to be paid the standard salary for new firefighters. Police and correction officers who leave to join the Fire Department are currently paid a higher rate than other new hires, based on seniority they accrued in the Police and Correction departments.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday said the tentative deal was the product of a long effort aimed at finding a way of giving firefighters a fair wage increase without draining city coffers.
"There's never been any question that these brave men and women deserve a raise," said Bloomberg during a news conference in the Blue Room of City Hall. "The challenge has been finding ways to provide it."
Bloomberg was joined by UFA president Steve Cassidy, who said the agreement is a fair one.
"I don't believe that New York City can ever pay firefighters what they're truly worth, but certainly today we took a step in the right direction for our members and we're proud of that," Cassidy said. |
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