By Katie Wedell
Dayton Daily News
DAYTON, Ohio — City commissioners and the International Association of Firefighters Local 136 have agreed to a new three-year contract that includes a combination of wage freezes, modest raises, changes in sick leave and increases in health care contributions.
The commissioners voted to approve the contract at their regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday evening. The agreement was ratified by 60 percent of IAFF members last week and will take effect June 1.
Under the new agreement, IAFF members will accept a 1.6 percent wage increase for 2012 followed by a wage freeze in 2013 and a 2 percent increase in 2014. Fire personnel will continue to receive step increases during the contract period.
Union members also agreed to change the usage of their sick leave time, charging employees more leave for each sick day they take. City Manager Tim Riordan said this change should reduce staff absences.
IAFF members also agreed to increases in annual health care deductibles and monthly premiums. The deductible will change from $2,000 to $2,100 for a single plan and from $4,000 to $4,200 for family plans. Monthly contributions will increase from $62.50 to $70 for single plans and from $125 to $160 for family plans, with an additional increase to $180 in 2013 and 2014.
Local 136 President Gaye Jordan said these contract talks went much more smoothly than last year when, after months of contentious negotiations, the union agreed to $1 million in wage and health care concessions.
The new agreement means the first pay raise for firefighters since 2008 and Jordan said the health care costs are in line with what other labor unions are paying and are identical to the other Dayton unions including the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 44.
She said although union members continue to be concerned about the “browning out” of one engine when staffing is low, other concessions from last year — like the loss of pay on several holidays and furlough days — have not been continued with this contract.
“It’s not the best contract we’ve ever had,” Jordan said. “But this is a contract that starts to step us in the right direction,” she said.
Riordan said city management is “pleased to have reached an agreement that both sides believe is fair and cost conscious.”
Both sides noted that with the signing of this bargaining agreement, the city will not have to enter contract negotiations with any of its employee unions until 2014. “This provides stability of the organization and the community for the next few years,” he said.
Copyright 2012 Dayton Daily News