chicagoareafire.com

Keeping track of Chicago area fire departments

Posts Tagged Jim Amos

West Dundee firefighters to vote on new contract

Jul 25

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Unionized employees of the West Dundee Fire Department are considering a three-year contract with the village that promises a 2.5 percent raise the first year and 2 percent raises the second and third years, Fire Chief Randy Freise said.

The village board unanimously approved the deal earlier this week. Officials are waiting for ratification from the seven full-time employees in the West Dundee Professional Firefighters union, Local 4882 of the International Association of Firefighters, Freise said.

The union members will vote on the deal early next week, said Union President James Amos, adding that he is happy with the outcome of the contract, which extends from May 1, 2015, to April 30, 2018,

Conversations for the new agreement began in January, Freise said, and the two parties were able to work out the contract in a timely fashion without involving outside attorneys.

This is the second employee contract for the fire department. The first contract, which was ratified in 2013, took nearly two years to develop, Freise said, because both the village and the union wanted to lay the groundwork for future deals. The difference between the two contracts is subtle, Amos said. Parts of the contract, for example, were tweaked slightly to account for minor procedural changes made within the department, Freise said.

thanks Dan

Tags: , , ,

First union contract for West Dundee FP

Dec 14

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Dan McInerney found this article in the Daily Herald about the first union contract for the West Dundee Fire Department.

The seven newly unionized members of the West Dundee Fire Department have signed off on a three-year contract with the village that guarantees them 2 percent raises, additional pay to maintain certifications and other perks, Fire Chief Randy Freise said.

The village board this week unanimously approved the deal, which marked the first employment contract ever for the fire department.

West Dundee’s fire department is comprised of seven full-time firefighters, 20 part-time firefighters, three lieutenants and the fire chief. Prior to the organization becoming a department in 1980, it was a fire protection district, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.

The seven full-timers unionized in 2011 because they wanted policies tailored to them, said Jim Amos, president of the West Dundee Professional Firefighters union, which falls within Local 4882 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“The village was switching chiefs and we have a good relationship with the village itself and … they have rules, but they’re not channeled for the fire department directly,” Amos said. “We just wanted to have something written up that pertains solely to the fire department.”

The contract runs May 1, 2012 through April 30, 2015. With the raises, a new firefighter hired at a starting salary of $50,715 will make $51,729.30 the first year, $52,763.89 the second year and $53,819.16 the final year.

Firefighters could also earn a $600 stipend if their certifications enable them to join a special team within the department, such as dive rescue, HAZMAT and fire investigations. They can make another $25 per 24-hour shift if they fill in as shift commander when one of the lieutenants is off.

Annual physicals will also be mandatory to ensure firefighters are fit.

Officials explained the process took nearly two years because the union is fairly new and it wanted to make sure the contract language was accurate.

 

Tags: , , , , ,