JEFFERSONVILLE —
A $307.69 increase in annual base pay — offered by the Jeffersonville City Council — was a far cry from what union leaders representing members of the Jeffersonville Fire Department had desired.
However, following more than two hours of negotiations between the two sides Monday night, it’s what members of the International Association of Firefighters Local 558 will have to consider.
A vote is expected to take place in the next three weeks and if members don’t approve, the matter could go to binding arbitration.
Initially, union leaders asked the council to close a $266,754 gap between fire and police salaries – which, divided among 65 members, would have amounted to a $4,103 annual increase per person to the $44,675 base pay. The council moved very little from its initial offer: A $250 annual salary increase per firefighter.
Early on in negotiations, union President David Kaskie told the council that their initial proposal “seems kind of low.”
The fire department has taken on new responsibility, having to cover annexed areas of the city, he said, all while police salaries have continued to grow at a greater rate. The police have to cover the newly annexed area as well.
Council members pointed out that the number of firefighters has increased by 15 as annexed areas north and east of the old city limits have come into the city. And council President Nathan Samuel noted that police and fire base pay was very similar.
Kaskie and fellow union heads noted that police have better rank differential percentage increases, better certification pay and clothing allowance.
“We would like parity with the police,” Kaskie said.
“Your jobs are apples and oranges,” Samuel countered. “There’s a lot of difference.”
Kaskie said that council members had considered similarities between the pay in the two departments in the past.
Samuel said that the council has to consider upcoming tax caps, which he and Councilman Ron Grooms said could limit city income in the future. He also noted that council members looked at fire salaries in similarly sized cities when coming up with its offer.
Salaries in Elkhart, Kokomo, Michigan City, Mishawaka, New Albany and Richmond were considered.
“That’s who we looked at,” he said. “We’re right there.”
Kaskie countered that those cities had all faced fiscal problems — noting that some had laid off firefighters and hat hasn’t happened in Jeffersonville.
“Every time we have an opening, we have 50 people apply for the job,” said Samuel, who argued that the good response was indicative of good pay.
Kaskie noted that the city was considering taking over the McCullough firehouse — which also sits in the newly annexed area. And he expressed concern that doing so could wind up stretching the department too thin, thus putting extra work on union members.
Councilman Mike Smith, a former firefighter, said that while he believed the city should take over the firehouse, the department is close to meeting the staffing levels recommended by the annexation fiscal plan. Three new firefighters are being hired this year.
Union leaders broke twice to head into a caucus to discuss the situation amongst themselves. Leadership moved several times from its initial offer — going first from $266,754 to $133,000. Then, a 3 percent raise for 2011 and 3 additional percent in 2012, and later 2 percent in 2011 and 4 percent more in 2012 were offered. Then it went to about $85,000 in raises divided across the 65 members — an about $1,307 annual increase — but the council would not agree.
Union leaders complained that council members were unwilling to budge on their number. Finally, Smith asked: What number would 51 percent of the fire union members go for?
The $307.69 increase was arrived at shortly thereafter. Kaskie declined to speculate on how the offer would be received among membership.
A fire union contract was last signed in early 2009 and included increases for that year and 2010. At the time, each side agreed to revisit salaries for 2011 and 2012.
The council is expected to get into more union negotiations later this week.
It’s scheduled to meet with members of Jeffersonville’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 100 at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Jeffersonville City Hall, 500 Quartermaster Court. Like the fire contract negotiation, that meeting is open to the public.
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