No Pay Hike in Contract for Seabrook NH Firefighters

SEABROOK — If approved by voters in March, a one-year contract for firefighters would not include a wage increase, according to Town Manager Bill Manzi.

Selectmen and Seabrook Professional Firefighters Local 2847 reached agreement on a contract with no cost increases for the year, Manzi said. The contract would run from April 1 to March 31, 2020.

Adjustments would be made in 2020 to include seniority payments and educational incentive increases, he said. The increase in salaries and benefits for fiscal 2020 would total $118,196.

“The Board of Selectmen are happy to reach an agreement that offers relief for taxpayers in 2019 and prioritizes keeping our firefighters in Seabrook, as well as providing incentives for increasing proficiency in critical firefighting skills through education,” Manzi said.

During negotiations, the town manager said firefighters were willing to take a “true zero” for the one-year contract. In 2018, residents voted down the contract between the town and firefighters union, Manzi said.

Union President Jeremy Wright said an entry-level emergency medical technician receives a base salary of $54,000 while one with 30 years of service earns a base salary of $78,000. Wright noted these base numbers will not change in 2019, adding that he believes the department is “doing OK” in terms of pay.

“In the Fire Department, we understand the tax increases recently,” Wright said. “We all live in town, we all pay taxes, so we all feel the heat with the increase in property taxes. We thought it would be better for the town and the people ... we wanted it to pass if it was earned rather than an increase in hourly rates.”

Manzi noted that in 2018, the union did agree to no increase in base wages but firefighters would have received longevity and educational incentive payments. In this warrant article, firefighters would not receive these possible incentives until 2020, he said.

Wright said the incentive encourages firefighters to receive a better education.

“I think it’s very fair,” said Wright, adding that it gives a pay incentive to those who haven’t gone to school.

“If they want the increase, they’re going to have to go earn it,” he said. “With a better educated department, we’re able to give better services, and I think it will benefit the town in the long run.”

The town manager agreed, noting that any time selectmen can agree to a contract without cost increases, it’s a “good deal” for the town and residents. The agreement will appear as a warrant article on the town ballot.

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