NEW BALTIMORE — The New Baltimore Fire Department has received a new labor contract approved to help improve several aspects of the department and its staff.
Coming with the new contract, firefighters within the department will received an increase in pay. A 2% pay increase for the years 2023 and 2024 will be established for the departments paid-on-call, part time, and full time staff.
Residents in the area can expect a quicker response time for both emergencies and non-emergencies as the department will be manned 24 hours each day now.
Over the years, the primarily paid-on-call department has faced low staffing levels and employment retention issues, leading to longer response times.
The department currently has 13 personnel and is interviewing several candidates, officials said, noting applications are always accepted.
The following aspects were included in the contract;
• Pension plan: The city will change to a Municipal Employees’ Retirement System, or MERS, pension plan that will remain in effect during the term of the agreement. Any firefighter hired in a full-time capacity, upon attaining age and years of service requirements, is eligible to receive a pension through MERS. Each full-time employee pays 5% of gross annual pay toward pension costs, with the city paying the next 12% toward pension costs.
• Overtime: Full-time firefighters normally scheduled to work a 40 hour workweek receive time and a half for hours worked in excess of eight hours in a work day or 40 hours in a week.
• Holidays: Paid-on-call and part-time firefighters are paid two times their regular hourly pay rate when responding to calls or on shifts on 11 holidays. Full-time employees are paid for 14 holidays, and those working holidays on their regularly scheduled shifts are paid two times their regularly hourly pay rate for hours worked on any actual holidays.
• Vacation: Full-time employees for at least one year get vacation time based on years seniority, ranging from 80 hours for one to four years, to 200 hours for 20-plus years. Vacation time may be accumulated up to 160 hours and carried over if unused with approval of the fire chief.
• Sick time: Full-time employees get 10 days with a 100% payout for unused sick days after Dec. 31 of each year. Sick time may be accumulated up to 160 hours, with a payout for half of unused or non-accumulated sick days.
• Personal time: Full-time employees get four personal business days per year.
• Clothing allowance: Full-time firefighters receive $750 after their first full year of service. Paid-on-call firefighters receive a clothing allowance paid annually based on the number of hours worked in the previous year, ranging from $300 for 300 or fewer hours worked to $500 for 500 or more hours worked. The clothing allowance is in lieu of work boots previously paid for by the city.
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