By Dayna Straehley
The Press Enterprise
CORONA, Calif. — The Corona City Council unanimously approved a contract last week that defers firefighters’ pay raises another two years, saving the city $1.2 million for a total of $3.5 million.
Council members praised the willingness of the Corona Firefighters Association and other city employees to help the city through the budget crisis.
Councilman Steve Nolan, who asked to have the contract discussed before voting on it, said he commends all the city’s employee groups for their concessions.
He added that he was concerned about committing to a contract calling for raises in 2014 when he expects city revenue to plummet further. He wants to talk about cutting recurring costs, not just postponing them, he said.
The firefighters had asked to negotiate the cuts because the union is aware that city revenues are down. Capt. Jim Steiner, union president, said the firefighters don’t think it would be right to take raises when city revenue has declined. The pay hikes were part of a four-year contract negotiated in 2006.
The revised contract extends to 2015. Firefighters had deferred raises previously and now won’t get increases for four years. Steiner said they may give up more money if city finances don’t improve.
“In 2014, we’re not going to watch our city implode,” Steiner said. “We’ll keep coming back and deferring raises.”
The revised contract postpones pay increases promised for 2011-12 and 2012-13 until 2014 and cuts fire captains’ pay by 2.5 percent. It suspends allowances for uniforms and flexible spending accounts and reduces paid holiday hours for some firefighters. Firefighters also will take 52 hours per year of unpaid furlough time.
If the agreement had not been approved, the firefighters would have received 4 percent raises starting in September.
“If we allow these raises to go through, we’re going to dig a deeper hole,” Corona Treasurer Dick Haley said.
Steiner said firefighters are willing to talk later about changing pension formulas, which have been criticized as unsustainable.
City Manager Brad Robbins said the firefighters association gave up raises and benefits “absolutely voluntarily.”
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