FDNY gives raise, READ THIS

[19FDNY77]

Taken From TOP STORIES of NY1.com 12:53am 3/3/07





Top Stories

City Firefighters Get Bump In Pay With New Two-Year Contract

March 02, 2007

The city's firefighters' union has approved a new contract which includes a nearly $10,000 increase in rookie pay.

The two-year deal, reached Friday evening, will run through June of next year and includes a roughly 10-percent raise across the board.

First-year firefighters will get a bump in pay from $25,100 to $35,000 a year.

And for the first time ever, firefighters working in specialty areas such as dealing with hazardous materials or special rescue missions will receive a 12-percent pay raise.

Both sides say it is a fair agreement.

"These are people who come into a unit knowing they are going to have hundreds of hours of additional training ahead of them,” said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. “They drill constantly as well, so it is really quite different then being in a regular company. They also do such important work.”

"This is a great example of a union coming to the table and making a good faith effort to reach an agreement," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement. "By working together the City and the Uniformed Firefighters Association have provided for raises for union members. We want to give equitable wage increases to all city employees. I am pleased this contract does that in an especially important area, the pay for rookie firefighters."

"Today's agreement represents a significant raise for New York City firefighters and the introduction of specialty pay, which has been sought by this union for over twenty years," said UFA President Steve Cassidy in a statement. "I thank the mayor and [Labor Commissioner James F.] Hanley."

The city will retroactively pay the firefighters the amount of the increase accumulated over the first eight months of the new contract.

The contract comes almost a year to the day after the city and the UFA announced a one-year deal, giving members a 17 percent wage hike. At the time, that agreement gave firefighters their first contract since 2003.

Also included in the deal is a raise in the top salary to nearly $69,000.

The city's 8,900 firefighters have been working without a contract since last August.

The city will retroactively pay the firefighters the amount of the increase accumulated over the first eight months of the new contract.

The contract comes almost a year to the day after the city and the UFA announced a one-year deal, giving members a 17 percent wage hike. At the time, that agreement gave firefighters their first contract since 2003.

While firefighters are happy with the news, members of the police union are not.

New York's Finest have been working without a contract since August 2004.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch praised the UFA for getting its deal but warned the mayor's office that "a cookie cutter contract settlement will not resolve the critical problems the NYPD is facing in keeping experienced officers on the job and attracting new ones."

The mayor, however, insists that the city has done its part to reach a deal.

"We've made offers to the PBA and they've been rejected out of hand," said Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, the firefighters contract will go before the union's 11 executive officers who are expected to pass it and then send it to the rank and file for approval. If accepted, the deal will take effect next month.

[ant195]

So this means that Probies in the academy get 35k in stead of 25k. WOW big jump!

[19FDNY77]

thats what I think. Also this would mean that after the 13th week, you STILL get a raise and should be making a min of 40k for the 1st yr, Good news for us goin in the next class! I think this is why they are holding this class back, trying to put all the pieces together before they start the new class. Good luck all!

343

[19FDNY77]

I edited the original post as the NY1 website did the same so from where it says 8900 firefighters, after that it is revised. Speaks of PBA and there efferts to force the city for more money, Not gonna happen! And this RAISE as we call it is not in effect yet, most likely will be for start of the new class as you could read in the revised post of the original@

343

[Moediaz]

i also heard that there adding 10 more weeks to the academy. Due to the incidents involving FireFighters in Buildings and etc. They want to train them for those situations.

[ffbam24]

In a nutshell after reading 5 pages of The Rant:

The increase in starting pay only makes the city look good on paper. The department still has to ratify it and there is A LOT of politics involved there.

Also under the proposed contract a department member with <5 years would:
-give up 6 paid holidays each year
-have night tour differential ($$) reduced by 50% each year
-no longevity until after 6 years

These are being referred to as "glitches" by the UFA president.

Then there's the waves being generated about a proposed increase for SOC members in addition to the base raise.

Wait and see before we celebrate this "increase" in starting pay.

Hang tough,
bam

[In2theJob]

It is definitely not a raise. With all the give backs for the unborn for the first 5 years. They just shifted funds to make it look good for the city that they were giving a raise.

[falcon]

The contract also contains a re-opener clause that allows the union to re-open contract negotiations with the city if any other union recieves a larger negotiated contract then the UFA did. The city played the UFA like a violin with this because the PBA is in arbitration with the city therefore any contract they receive will not come from negotiation but from arbitration.