PHILADELPHIA(KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia has negotiated a one-year contract extension with its firefighters’ union, granting one of the largest one-year wage increases in nearly three decades.
All four city union contracts were set to expire next June but Mayor Jim Kenney wants to give his successor, Cherelle Parker, a clear runway for her first year in office, so his Deputy Mayor for Labor, Basil Merenda, has been working on negotiating one-year extensions on all of them.
He settled with the police union last month and with the firefighters union on Thursday.
“We focused on fairly compensating Philadelphia firefighters — you know, Philadelphia’s bravest, like we did with the police, Philadelphia’s finest,” Merenda said. “We think it’s good for the firefighters and we think it’s very good for the city.”
Firefighters union president Mike Bresnan called the contract “favorable” and said he thinks members are going to be happy with it.
Bresnan says firefighters will get a 5% raise on July 1, a $1,800 signing bonus, plus benefit enhancements including a plan to convert unused sick time to medical coverage on retirement and a $70,000 increase in Line of Duty Death compensation.
The city is still negotiating with District Councils 33 and 47, which represent non-uniformed city workers.