Like Pueblo Police Department employees, Pueblo Fire Department workers will be getting raises for the next three years after the city and the International Association of Firefighters Local No. 3 union agreed on a new multiyear collective bargaining agreement.
The current agreement between the city and fire department union expires at the end of this year and the two parties have been working on a new deal that was finalized by City Council's unanimous approval last week.
The new three-year agreement would see fire department employees receive wages equivalent in cost to an overall increase of 3.25% in 2020; 2.75% in 2021; and 2.5% in 2022.
The wage bumps are structured, however, to provide an increase of 3% in 2020 and a 2.75% increase in 2021 for all steps below top step in each rank of the fire department.
The top step increase for each rank varies slightly, but averages around a 3.8% increase for 2020 and 3.75% in 2021. In 2022, all ranks and steps will receive a 2.5% increase, according to the city.
In 2020, the costs for the city associated with percentage increases for all ranks would be approximately $474,459. In 2021, the costs would be about $486,361. And in 2022, the costs would be about $349,974. The agreement also provides about $269,000 in continued step increases over the three years of the deal.
Health insurance cost increases for 2020 given the 11% premium increase would be approximately $264,202 for the city. Health increase cost increases for the next two years of the agreement are unknown at this time since rates aren't set.
As part of the agreement, the city also would be spending close to $50,000 to provide 20 sets of bunker gear to the fire department to be used as extra sets so that firefighters can avoid wearing contaminated or damaged bunker gear.
The police department union entered into a similar three-year collective bargaining agreement with the city recently that sees those employees receive the same percentage raises over the next three years as fire department employees are getting.
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