The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE — After months of intense, closed-door bargaining, negotiators for the Rawlings-Blake administration and Baltimore’s fire unions have reached an agreement that would give firefighters a 16.5 percent pay raise in exchange for working more hours, according to documents reviewed by The Baltimore Sun.
The agreement, which rank-and-file union members will vote on Tuesday, represents a concession from City Hall after firefighters overwhelmingly rejected an earlier proposal. Under the new deal, firefighters’ hours would increase from 42 to 47.5 per week — a 12.5 percent increase — in exchange for the raise in the new three-year contract.
Pay for a firefighter with 10 years experience would rise from about $55,000 to $64,075. The longer workweek would mean city officials could save millions by cutting overtime pay and shrinking the department by up to 140 firefighters, positions that would be eliminated through attrition. The department currently employs about 1,300 firefighters.
Full story: Negotiators for city, firefighters reach deal