Full-time firefighters in Greater Sudbury negotiating a new contract with the city have scored a partial victory.
Following an arbitration hearing, the firefighters were awarded retroactive salary increases that date back to 2015. The award sees the salary of a first-class firefighter rise from $92,620 as of Jan. 1, 2015, to $97,065 as of July 1 of this year.
Retroactive wages will be paid within 60 days to current employees and within 90 days to those who have left the bargaining unit. The decision covers salaries until the end of this year only.
Public employees such as firefighters don't have the right to strike, but can have their contracts go through what's known as interest arbitration. Under that scenario, unresolved issues are presented to an independent arbitrator whose decisions are binding.
On the issue of salaries, the city argued that fire wages should be linked to Sudbury police wages, rejecting union arguments that fire departments in similar cities in Ontario should be used.
The union rejected that stance, presenting a list of 10 communities in Ontario similar to Sudbury, and arguing the salary awarded in Kitchener should be the basis for Sudbury. It also wanted to keep its salary position among the 10 communities, where they were third-highest paid in 2013 and second highest in 2014.
It rejected the city's argument regarding linking salaries with police, noting that the previous contract language ensured firefighters didn't fall behind police, not that fire salaries should be exclusively linked to them.
“The provision does not foreclose reference to other fire comparators by either party in future bargaining or at interest arbitration,” the board transcript says.
“The city’s implementation of the negotiated July 2014 wage increase, without reservation and without attempted claw back, is consistent with this interpretation.”
However, police salaries were used in coming to the salary award. The arbitrator said that if Kitchener was used, firefighters would make more than $2,000 a year more than police in 2017.
“The board should provide a wage increase commensurate with other comparable fire departments as well as police, and, accept the Association’s suggestion that the Kitchener fire settlement merits review,” the decision reads. “We have sought to achieve an outcome that balances wages freely negotiated by both local police and comparable firefighters.”
The firefighters, who last contract expired in 2014, still have 17 unresolved issues before the arbitrator. They include their controversial 24-hour shift schedule, benefits for retirees and hearing aid coverage.
