A $27.35 million agreement was ratified by the firefighters union and the city, marking the end of protracted negotiations and effectively avoiding arbitration between the two parties. A significant pay boost of approximately 10.6% over a three-year period will compensate the firefighters, acknowledging their tireless service and commitment to the city's safety, according to the Boston Herald.
This ratification is the culmination of months of negotiation efforts between the city and the firefighters union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 718. In a joint statement, Mayor Michelle Wu and Local 718 President Sam Dillon applauded the new collective bargaining agreement, stating it is focused on the needs of Boston's communities as well as the devoted firefighters that safeguard the city, as reported by the Boston Globe. Together, they look forward to presenting the agreement to the City Council for approval.
The cost of the ratified contract has been filed as a supplemental fiscal year 2024 budget appropriation and will be discussed during the City Council meeting on September 20th, as per a Wu spokesperson. Firefighters are set to receive retroactive pay increases of 3% each for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and a 2.5% raise for the fiscal year 2024, which began earlier this year, as reported by Boston Herald.
Further aspects of the ratified contract include a 1.5% increase for hazardous duty compensation, intended only for the current fiscal year, and a nighttime paid detail bump of $8 for nightclub and movie theater oversight. This is the first pay raise in this context in quite some time and is designed to incentivize work that had waned in appeal due to low compensation, another city official revealed.
While the contract brings much-needed relief to many firefighters, sources familiar with the negotiations claimed the city had aggressively pursued additional compensation for the 150 firefighters working at the fire department headquarters. Regrettably, an agreement regarding the stipend, which has remained unchanged since 2001, was not reached.
With the contract in effect from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024, negotiations are set to recommence during the spring of 2024. Although the new contract is considered more accommodating to the union, with no givebacks, the Wu administration remains committed to driving fire department reform in future collective bargaining agreements, a city official pointed out via Boston Herald.
