Warm Reception for Pact, Says UFOA Leader

By ARI PAUL

The Uniformed Fire Officers Association held two membership meetings July 24 to answer questions about its recent contract agreement.

JOHN J. McDONNELL: Calls reaction positive.

Two days later, the union sent ratification ballots to its 2,400 members, with an Aug. 10 deadline for return. If ratified, the deal - which provides 17-percent raises and other key gains - would run from March 20 of this year through March 19, 2011.

Focus on 'Buyback'

"I thought they went very well," said UFOA President John J. McDonnell of the two meetings at Dante's Caterers in Jackson Heights. "A lot of constructive questions regarding the stretch and buying back the pay stretch the Lieutenants had endured."

Battalion Chief McDonnell noted that under the last contract, the union was forced to reduce starting pay for future Lieutenants and Supervising Fire Marshals in order to match the 5-percent raises won by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association in arbitration for incumbents in those and higher ranks.

The revised pay schedules under this contract would raise the starting pay for Lieutenants by more than $8,500 and for Supervising Fire Marshals by more than $14,000.

Minimum pay for all Lieutenants promoted since March 1, 2006 would be $75,000 under this contract - compared to the old starting rate of $66,435 - and maximum pay, reached after four years in the rank, would move from $78,695 to $87,798.

Gains for New Marshals

Minimum salaries for Supervising Fire Marshals would rise from $72,615 to $87,400 next March, and the maximum would jump from $86,061 to $96,016.

"Obviously, the young Lieutenants were affected by the stretch," said Battalion Chief McDonnell.

He added that about 200 members attended each meeting. He said at both meetings members informally voted on whether they would ratify the contract. By a show of hands, members voted overwhelmingly in favor, he said.