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Hartford Firefighters Ratify Union Contract
By Jenna Carlesso and Steven Goode
HARTFORD — The city firefighters union on Friday ratified a contract that includes pay freezes, a cap on pensions for new hires and changes to the health care plan that combined would save Hartford about $3.5 million next year, members said.
The agreement was an important first step in achieving concessions that Mayor Luke Bronin has pushed for. The city's budget for the current year includes $15.5 million in union givebacks.
Vincent Fusco, the head of Hartford Firefighters Association, called the new contract "fair."
A vote total was not available Friday night, but Fusco said the deal was "overwhelmingly approved" by the union.
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"We reached a settlement that protects our members and the citizens and visitors of Hartford, but delivers a savings to the city," he said. "In the economic times that we're in, we've always done our part."
The contract, which runs from July 2016 to June 2020, calls for wage freezes all four years and higher contributions for health insurance. Coverage will shift from a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan to a high deductible plan with a health savings account.
Pensions will be capped at 70 percent of employees' pay for new workers. Current firefighters have the opportunity to go beyond 70 percent based on their years of service.
Pension contributions also rose to 11 percent, up from 8 percent, and factor in all earnings, as opposed to just the firefighters' base pay.
The contract also requires new hires or employees with less than 10 years' experience to work 25 years before retiring, instead of 20, and reduces the maximum pay for new workers by 10 percent.
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The plan is expected to save the city about $1.5 million in the remainder of this fiscal year, $3.5 million next year, and a half million more each year after that, officials said.
"I commend the Hartford Fire Union for recognizing the severity and the urgency of our fiscal crisis, and for doing their part to help put Hartford on the path to fiscal health," Bronin said in a statement Friday. "This agreement will save the city of Hartford millions of dollars ... and makes some very significant structural changes to reduce long-term liabilities. At a time when Hartford is facing immense fiscal pressure, I'm proud that we were able to work together to sign a serious, responsible agreement for Hartford and its taxpayers."
Bronin is still negotiating with the city's other bargaining groups. He said recently that as talks proceed, he does not believe he will hit his $15.5 million concessions target this year.
Union leaders last spring had pledged to provide a collective $8 million to $12 million in givebacks.
Luke Bronin