Firefighter Pact Gets Big Vote From Delegates

By RICHARD STEIER

A contract that would give Firefighters an 8-percent raise over two years and significantly boost starting salary moved a major step closer to fruition when it was approved by a nearly 2-to-1 margin April 19 by union delegates.

STEVE CASSIDY: Strong vote a positive sign.

Ratification ballots will be sent to the Uniformed Firefighters' Association's 8,900 members on April 30 and will be counted by the American Arbitration Association May 10, according to UFA Recording Secretary Joe Miccio.

Cassidy Pleased

Although the contentious union has had three contract settlements rejected during the past 22 years, none of those deals made it past UFA delegates for a membership vote. The strong delegate vote in favor, 241 to 127, prompted union President Steve Cassidy to say April 20, "We are pleased this innovative contract is moving forward in such a positive manner. We look forward to completion of this process so our members can begin to reap the benefits of this deal."

The contract is of particular importance for both the Bloomberg administration and other uniformed unions. If approved, it figures to set a pattern for fire officers and employees of all ranks in the Police, Correction and Sanitation departments. It might also put added pressure on the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association to reach contract terms at a time when that union seems content to await an arbitration process that is unlikely to produce a new pact until sometime next year.

In order to allay concerns Mr. Cassidy had about the PBA winding up with superior wage terms through arbitration, city officials agreed to a reopener clause that covers not only this pact but the final two years of his preceding four-year deal.

Several leaders of other uniformed unions have put their own contract talks on hold while awaiting the UFA ratification vote, but have also said that if the deal is approved, they expect to negotiate similar terms.

The pact would provide two 4-percent raises, which with compounding have a value of 8.16 percent. Maximum salary, currently $63,309, would rise to $68,475 as of Aug. 1, when the second-year raise would be effective.

Other Gains

A month later, longevity differentials that rise with each 5 years of service would all increase by $1,000. Firefighters would all be given a special city drug-prescription card to reduce their costs in that area, and those wishing to take outside jobs would no longer require permission from the FDNY. At the end of the contract, Fire Marshals would get an $1,100 increase in uniform allowance.

The previous UFA contract, which was heavily influenced by a 2005 arbitration award for the PBA, financed part of the raises for incumbents by sharply cutting the pay scale for future hires, with starting salary slashed to $25,100 for their 13 weeks of Fire Academy training and then going to $32,700 for the rest of their first year of work.

The proposed deal brings starting pay, which would be $35,000, closer to its prior level, and provides other improvements along the pay scale, including allowing future Firefighters to reach maximum salary after 5 years, rather than 5-1/2. It finances those gains, however, by cutting several benefits for new Firefighters: they would be paid for six fewer holidays in each of their first five years on the job and suffer significant cuts in both annuity and night-differential payments during that period compared to incumbents.

The contract also includes two key improvements for those performing specialized work. About 360 Firefighters who serve as company chauffeurs or steer from the back of the small number of hook-and-ladder trucks still in use would receive a 3-percent increase in the differentials they receive for those duties.

A more controversial benefit was the granting of a differential equal to 12 percent of salary to roughly 500 Firefighters assigned to HazMat and Rescue Companies.

Some Firefighters are angered that just a small group is getting that bonus, and their resentment has been viewed as the biggest obstacle to the deal being ratified.

Mr. Cassidy has argued that since the money did not come at the expense of the basic settlement, it would have been foolish to refuse it, and that getting the bonus for one segment of the membership opens the door for others in future negotiations.