Firefighter concessions approved

The City Council on Monday approved a package of concessions from city firefighters that's expected to result in $1.4 million in savings for the city over 13 months.

The council voted 7-0 to approve the deal.

Police and general employees have previously agreed to concessions packages. Previous attempts to negotiate a deal with firefighters stalled in February when fire union leaders accused former interim City Manager Mark F. Weinberg of attempting to change terms in the written deal after reaching a verbal agreement.

Weinberg said in a March 3 posting on SB Now that he was worried about an upsurge in overtime costs if firefighters were able to take leave given in exchange for a pay cut before the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Whenever a firefighter takes time off, is ill or injured, other firefighters cover the shift at overtime rates.

The waiting period is included in the deal approved Monday.

Key provisions of the deal are:

-Firefighters agree to give up 8.7 percent of their base salary via a line item deduction on their paycheck.

- Firefighters current collective bargaining agreement is extended one year, to expire June 30, 2010.

- Firefighters will earn 4 hours of paid leave time per week, but will not be able to take that time off until July 1, 2010. The time off will not have cash value unless firefighters retire before that date.

- Firefighters agree to sell back 48 hours of vacation time before June 30 and another 48 hours before the end of the next fiscal year. (The item was not discussed during the meeting, but this appears to be a way to reduce overtime expenditures, as firefighters will not have to have colleagues cover their shifts at overtime rates if they take less time off.)

- There are also provisions related to firefighters' medical plans, including a medical benefit cash-out program.

The full agreement can be accessed by reading the council's agenda at www.sbcity.org.