By Jodi Rogstad
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The city’s firefighters will enjoy a 7.5 percent pay raise in this year’s contract along with a 5 percent increase for longevity pay, an arbitrator ruled on Tuesday.
The ruling ends a months’ long impasse between the firefighters’ union and the city officials. The contract is retroactive to July 1.
The heart of the dispute was pay. Cheyenne Professional Fire Fighters Local 279 asked for an 11 percent raise - in line with raises given to police last year.
The city offered 6 percent, the same amount budgeted for all its employees - 3 percent July 1 and 3 percent Jan. 1.
Lt. Jon Narva, union president, said the arbitrator did a good job of finding a win-win situation.
He added that the arbitrator recognized the “inequity” created by the police raises. He also saw that fire calls have doubled since 2000, mostly because of paramedics added to the fleets.
At the same time, Narva said, the arbitrator did not want to punish the city.
Mayor Jack Spiker called the decision “fair.”
“I was braced to have to pay them 11 percent based upon (past arbitrations),” the mayor added.
Fire Chief Guy Cameron said it was logical ruling, but it was unfortunate that this year’s negotiations ended up in arbitration.
“The (award) was more in line with the city’s position than labor’s,” Cameron said. “The reward was generous in light of the local economy and these recessionary times.”
The arbitrator was John Criswell, a retired judge from Littleton, Colo.
He also said firefighters work 24-hour shifts - and log more hours than police do in a given year. But police pay is only for active time. Firefighters are paid for inactive but on-duty time.
A disagreement between Narva and Cameron “led to a hardening of positions that might otherwise not have occurred,” Criswell added.
Narva testified in favor of a pension bill to the Legislature. It increased benefits, but firefighters have to pay a higher percentage into it. He testified it would not cost municipalities - just firefighters.
But during negotiations, Narva asked the city to pay 6 percent into the pension.
That rankled Cameron, who accused Narva of “destroying the firefighters’ reputations at the Capitol,” Criswell wrote.
Narva said Tuesday, “Any time someone brings a contentious accusation to the bargaining process, certainly, things are going to be contentious.”
Though the union chose to take pensions off the table, Criswell said, both sides then “dug in their heels” over pay.
Narva said Criswell’s take on the dispute “exonerated” the union: Criswell said it was “entirely unrealistic” for lawmakers to assume that unions would not ask cities to pick up the pension tab. All unionized cities except Cheyenne already do this.
Cameron could not immediately be reached for a response.
During city elections in November, firefighters endorsed Spiker’s opponent for City Council, Jeff Goins, and donated money to his campaign.
“Going forward, we have the best solution to employee-management relations,” Narva said. “We have a clear-cut defined solution to any disagreement. We negotiate. If we can’t negotiate, we go to an arbitrator and it is what it is and we move on.”
The city and union will pay equal shares for Criswell’s services. Narva said the union’s share will come to about $3,700.
The additional 1.5 percent pay increase will amount to $140,000, which will likely come out of the city’s reserves, said city treasurer Barb Dorr.
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