March 12--WEST HARTFORD -- After nearly two years of negotiations, the firefighters union on Monday ratified a contract with the town that the town manager calls "a trend-setting change" from previous contracts.
The new contract -- which will take effect retroactive to July 1, 2012, if the town council approves it March 25 -- includes lower raises and higher pension contributions for firefighters, as well as a switch from a "preferred provider" to a high-deductible health care plan for all employees in the union.
It reduces sick pay upon retirement for firefighters hired after the contract is signed from a maximum of 170 days to a maximum of 30 days.
"As town manager, I'm very pleased that we have come to this agreement," Town Manager Ronald Van Winkle said Tuesday.
Kerry Warren, president of the West Hartford Firefighters Association, declined to comment until after the town council reviews the contract.
The road to ratification was not an easy one. Eleven firefighters decided to retire before contract negotiations moved from the informal to formal negotiation stage in December 2012, fearing changes to health care benefits for retirees.
The town and the union decided last September to skip mediation because they didn't think they could come to an agreement, and started the arbitration process.
Arbitration was postponed as the groups continued to have "productive discussions," Van Winkle said, and the contract was reached outside of arbitration.
"It's been a long negotiation, but productive for both sides," Van Winkle said. "We appreciate all that the fire union has done to help the town with budget concerns."
Compared to the current contract, which raised wages between 3.25 percent and 3.75 percent each year, the new contract includes no salary increase in 2012-2013 and 2 percent increases for 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to a summary.
Employees' pension contributions increase by .5 percent each year from 2013 to 2016, from 6 to 8 percent over the three years.
For employees hired after the contract is signed, the multiplier used to determine pension payments will drop from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, meaning firefighters will earn 2 percent of their final pay times the number of years they worked.
Under the new contract, a firefighter who worked the required 20 years will get 40 percent of his final pay every year from retirement until death, compared to 50 percent under the current contract.
"It's a significant savings," Ledwith said. Applying the new terms to the circumstances of the past nine retirees showed that the terms would have saved $300,000 per year, he said.
The changes to health insurance, including increases in employee contributions each year, will save the town between 15 and 20 percent in health care expenses, according to Ledwith. The town will fund 75 percent of the annual deductible effective Jan. 1, 2015; 65 percent effective Jan. 1, 2016; and 50 percent effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Once the town council ratifies the contract, the town will start the hiring process to fill 14 vacant positions in the fire department.
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