City OKs contract with firefighters
Kalispell firefighters will get two years of 2 percent pay raises according to a collective bargaining agreement the City Council approved on Monday.
Negotiations for the three-year contract have been going on since May. The contract covers fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The agreement offers 2 percent raises in 2015 and 2016. With longevity factored in, firefighters will see base salary increases of 1.3 percent in 2014 and 3.3 percent in 2015 and 2016.
The agreement adds new promotion requirements for some positions such as the engineer, lieutenant and captain. It also creates a new seat on the promotions board for someone who is not in the fire department but has firefighting experience. That board member will be appointed by the fire chief.
“I’m proud to say we’re coming here after just a few short months to bring what we feel is a mutually beneficial contract between two parties,” City Manager Doug Russell said. “It’s something I think fits within our resources and still rewards our employees for the jobs they’re doing.”
F. Ray Ruffatto, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 547, said the agreement represents five months of information sharing, number crunching and open, cordial negotiations.
“I’d like to recognize the efforts of our chiefs, Dedman and John Campbell, for their ongoing support of the firefighters and the department, as well as their personal dedication to the mission,” Ruffato said. “I’d also like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Russell and his team, Charlie Harball, Terry Mitton and Rick Wills, for their constructive and cooperative efforts during our negotiations. They did a great job.”
Negotiations between the city and its firefighters went much smoother this time around than they did several years ago, when they went through arbitration, which the firefighters won, prompting the city to threaten layoffs.
The new agreement passed the City Council with a 9-0 vote. Council members lauded it as fair and equitable. “This is the first time in my tenure where everyone walked away feeling this was fair,” Mayor Tammi Fisher said.
Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.