The Chicago Tribune has an article about a new contract for Chicago firefighters:
The Chicago firefighters union leadership has reached a tentative agreement with City Hall on a new contract that will reportedly include an 11 percent raise over five years. Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 President Thomas Ryan said the pact will not be officially voted on for several weeks until the two sides hammer out a few more details, “none of which I would call deal breakers.”
But Ald. Nick Sposato, 36th, a member of the firefighters union, said members will get raises totaling 11 percent. Part of the raises will be retroactive to July 2012, when the last contract lapsed.
The contract negotiations did not focus on the additional $600 million payment the city is currently required to make to shore up police and fire pensions, according to Ryan. Mayor Rahm Emanuel hopes to broker a deal that won’t hit the city so hard so soon, but Ryan said that situation will be discussed separately.
Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton called the tentative contract a “responsible approach, ensuring our employees are compensated for the critical services they provide our residents and that taxpayers are protected with a fair wage proposal.”
Sposato said the fire contract also would convert 15 basic life support ambulances to advanced life support, a change the mayor supported. The advanced ambulances are staffed by paramedics and have better medication and life-saving equipment. The city will also hire 200 new paramedics to staff the new ambulances by September, Sposato said. “I think this is a good deal for Chicagoans,” he said of the new ambulances.
Ryan said the contract does not change the staffing level on each piece of fire equipment, an idea the mayor floated shortly after taking office that angered firefighters worried about layoffs.
thanks Dan
#1 by fmddc1 on April 14, 2014 - 4:54 PM
I’m very happy for all you guy’s at the CFD! I know this was a really tough one ( from what some of the fella’s told me) and you’ll gave up nothing! That 2% towards health care for some future retires sucks, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not so bad. I’m so proud of you guys for all you do and glad for all of you’ll!
#2 by Bill Post on April 12, 2014 - 11:08 PM
Thanks for your reply 0.02, however Commissioner James Joyce was the Fire Commissioner when the BLS ambulances were put in service in June of 2000.
Cortez Trotter didn’t become the Fire Commissioner until May of 2004.
The irony about it that the Tri Data Corporation had done a “Comprehensive Review of the Chicago Fire Department” which included the EMS division and was released in June of 1999 and Commissioner Joyce was appointed in November of 1999 about 5 months later. The study didn’t mention BLS ambulances at all in any of it’s recommendation and yet only about 7 months after he had become become the new Fire Commissioner Joyce had put the 12 BLS ambulances in service in the new “Tiered Ems program”. So the mystery is after the city had hired a Emergency service consulting firm which was based in Arlington Virginia had did a pretty intensive study of the Chicago Fire Department and didn’t even mention BLS ambulances in their recommendations , where did Commission Joyce get his Tiered EMS program idea from? It is conceivable that the BLS ambulance plan could have been generated “in house” and Cortez Trotter could have been behind that plan as he had been part of the “brass”. Perhaps a different study that was not officially released from a different agency could have recommended it. Cortez Trotter could have still been behind the plan however as he was originally part of the EMS division and had been a department administrator. Shortly before Cortez Trotter was appointed Fire Commissioner he was with the Emergency Communication center however before the that he had been with the fire departments EMS division.
#3 by BG on April 12, 2014 - 3:46 PM
That is true that a lot of people have not been showing up to the first step of the process. But I highly doubt that a new list will be opening up soon. Knowing that there is 1200 medics on this current list and they are barely into the 200’s.
#4 by B on April 12, 2014 - 3:40 PM
That is true that a lot of people have not been showing up to the first step of the process. But I highly doubt a new list will be opening up soon. There are 1200 medics on this current list and they are barely into the 200’s.
#5 by 0.02 on April 12, 2014 - 9:24 AM
Cortez trotter was the commissioner who implemented the BLS ambulance program
#6 by Bill Post on April 11, 2014 - 7:27 PM
Speaking as an observer it sounds very good to me considering that the manning per company will remain the same. It will be interesting to find out further details such as will the fire department still be required to maintain the same amount of fire companies as when the contract gets ratified such as the stipulation in the previous contract.
It is also good to hear that more ALS ambulances will be added which appears to spell the end of the BLS program. The only thing is that I hope that they find a way to reduce abuse of the EMS system so that the BLS runs don’t overtax the ALS ambulances.
Perhaps some one on this site knows whose idea the BLS ambulances in Chicago were as the Tri Data study of the Chicago Fire Department in the late 1990’s didn’t really recommend adding BLS ambulances specifically but only endorsed adding more ALS ambulances at the time of the report in 1999.
#7 by Dennis on April 11, 2014 - 9:11 AM
Calling paramedic’s off the list now(for single role medic positions), and not alot are showing up for processing. Looks like the list will be opening up again real soon. Make sure you have all your ConEd up to date and are in good standing with your local resource hospital.
#8 by Luke on April 10, 2014 - 6:05 PM
That’s good to hear, Hopefully a fire department class will happen soon after.