Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Mundelein’s firefighters will get 2.75-percent pay raises under a one-year contract extension approved Monday night, authorities said, …  the same rate being awarded to Mundelein’s police officers and public works employees under their union deals.

The deal prolongs a three-year pact adopted in 2013. It applies to 16 firefighters represented by the International Association of Firefighters Local 4786.

“Both sides thought it was a good idea to extend the contract for one year while the village evaluates opportunities to improve efficiencies in both our internal operations and with other fire departments in the fire services,” Village Administrator John Lobaito said, noting that  the village is not investigating merging with another fire department or any other type of departmental consolidation.

That search for efficiency includes talking with neighboring fire departments about sharing expensive equipment, such as ladder trucks, and services.

The new starting salary for a firefighter will be $64,854, up from $63,118. The contract will last through April 30, 2017.

Tags: contract extension for Mundelein firefighters, International Association of Firefighters Local 4786, Mundelein FIre Department