Details of the new four-year collective agreement for Saint John firefighters have been made public.
Union members have voted in favour of the new deal, the city said in a news release on Wednesday.
Common Council ratified the new agreement unanimously during a special meeting on Monday night.
“The service our courageous firefighters provide to the City is of the utmost importance and the respect we have for them as first responders can’t be overstated,” Mayor Donna Reardon said in the news release.
“The agreement ensures the appropriate fire service response is available when required by residents and the compensation is fair to firefighters for the work they do.”
Firefighters will receive a 2.1 per cent wage increase in each year of the contract, retroactive to January 2020, which the city said falls within its wage escalation policy.
Other changes include return-to-work process enhancements and adjustments to long-term disability.
“Modest wage increases, combined with the reduction in the size of the Fire Department in 2020, ensure that the City has financially sustainable fire prevention and response capabilities moving forward,” said the release.
“The new Collective Agreement helps to establish a critical foundation for the development of the Fire Department’s 15-year strategic plan, which will be presented to Common Council before the end of 2022.”
The two sides have been without a contract since the end of 2019. Negotiations began in February 2020.