Providence, firefighters reach new contract after 7 years

From The Providence Journal's Projo 7 to 7 News Blog, March 22

PROVIDENCE, RI – After nearly seven years of often-bitter negotiations, Mayor David N. Cicilline and the city firefighters' union have reached a tentative new contract giving firefighters two years worth of retroactive pay raises but imposing a wage freeze for the current fiscal year and the next.

The agreement, which still requires approval from the union membership, marks the first time that firefighters have agreed to pay a part of their health insurance, bringing them in line with other city labor unions. Firefighters have been without a contract since 2001.

It comes on the heels of a ruling from an independent arbitrator, announced last week, that requires the union to pay part of its health insurance for fiscal years 2006 and 2007. It also comes in Cicilline's final year in office. The two-term Democrat, who pledged to resolve the firefighter's dispute when he first ran for office in 2002, has said he is running for Congress in the First District.

The new agreement resolves all outstanding contract issues with Local 799 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. That includes the unresolved contracts of fiscal years 2008 and 2009, which had been awaiting a ruling from the third-party arbitrator.

"We kind of feel like The Eagles: Hell's frozen over," Firefighters Union President Paul Doughty said following a press conference at the mayor's office Monday afternoon.

According to the city, the tentative deal proposes a 1-percent wage increase in fiscal year 2008 and a two percent pay raise in 2009. Wages will be frozen in 2010 and 2011.

According to the union, firefighters will pay a flat fee of about $900 for an individual health care plan and about $1,800 for a family plan in fiscal year 2010 and 2011. That represents about 15 percent of this year's health-care costs.

Extra: Summary of Providence firefighters' contract, provided by mayor's office