Bloomington aldermen to vote on raises for union firefighters, police dispatchers

Posted on July 6, 2018
Bloomington Fire Truck
Bloomington aldermen will decide Monday night whether to ratify a three year union contract with firefighters that will cost the city an extra $2 million.(Facebook/Bloomington Fire Department photo)

 

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington aldermen will decide Monday night whether to accept union contracts providing pay raises for firefighters and police dispatchers.

The tentative three-year agreement between the city and the International Association of Firefighters Local 49 calls for a 2.25 percent raise the first year and 2.5 percent increases in each of the next two years. The cost to taxpayers for the wage hikes is $2,018,929 over the life of the contract, according to the staff’s report.

Telecommunicators tentatively agreed to a two-year contract with two percent raises each year. The dispatchers would receive lump sum payments of between $1,500 and $3,000 every five years to reward them for length of service. The staff’s report says the cost to taxpayers for the raises and longevity pay is about $48,000.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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