City, union agree on contract, raises for firefighters
Thursday, May 22, 2008
After nine months, the city of Mason and its firefighters have a new three-year contract.
"Yes, I'm pleased to have it completed," City Manager Eric Hansen said.
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Union representative Mark Gerano said that although firefighters had to make concessions, they also are pleased with the deal.
The firefighters asked for the help of a mediator at the end of February because they had reached an impasse on salaries and hours. The old hourly pay range was $15.68 to $18.62. Under the new contract, which is retroactive to last October, the hourly base pay range is $16.07 to $20.73. Training and additional certifications will qualify fire department employees to get additional compensation.
The work week remains 53 hours. City Manager Eric Hansen said it would not have made fiscal sense to reduce it.
"It's not simply reducing the hours, it would raise overtime and cost more money," Hansen said. "The law allows what they are working now, which includes overtime amounts. If we were to reduce that it would increase overtime."
Firefighters and paramedics work a 24-hours-on and 48-hours-off schedule. However, Hansen pointed out that the schedule also includes time for meals, resting and sleeping.
"That's why the law is construed more liberally, because they are on average not 100 percent of the time working," he said.
Gerano said another big win for the firefighters is a new promotional procedure for everyone under the rank of deputy chief.
"This was a topic of much discussion both prior to and during our contract talks," he said.
The new contract also includes additional protections for firefighters who are in the military. And they can now accrue up to 72 hours in compensatory time, which is up from 48 hours.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.
