What has been called the longest contract dispute in Canadian firefighter history is finally over.
London firefighters officially have a new contract after city council ratified a tentative agreement Friday evening, following more than six years of bargaining between the London Professional Firefighters Association (LPFFA) and London city hall. The previous contract expired back on December 31, 2010.
The LPFFA membership also voted 91% in favour of ratifying the new nine-year agreement, which is retroactive to January 1, 2011. The new contract will expire on December 31, 2019.
"It's an agreement that provides some much needed certainty in a changing landscape of police and fire settlements," said Mayor Matt Brown. "I think that this sets a very positive tone for both parties working together moving forward."
The newly ratified deal includes an averaged annual pay increase of 2.4% for firefighters, as well as benefit improvements which are balanced with some benefit reductions. The contract will also see changes to promotion exams for department heads, a reduction in overtime benefits for some employees, and platoons chiefs will be excluded from the bargaining unit.
"Both sides advanced matters that were important to them in this round of bargaining, and the agreement reflects that.” said LPFFA President Jason Timlick, in a written statement. “The men and women of the LPFFA are dedicated to the job we do and the important role we play in keeping Londoners safe.”
One of the sticking points during negotiation was the city’s push to end wage parity between firefighters and the London Police Service.
Brown said the pay rates will continue to be similar.
"There's trend we've seen emerging where firefighters in some communities -- Guelph specifically -- are actually being awarded contracts by an arbitrator that are higher than police service wages. So that's something we wanted avoid here in London, and I'm pleased to be able to say we were able to deliver on that," he said.
The tentative deal was reached just two months after Martin Hayward replaced Art Zuidema as city manager. Zuidema was previously criticized by LPFFA members during his time handling the labour dispute.
Brown insisted it was a combined effort that allowed the two parties to reach an agreement.
"This has been going on for more than half a decade and there have been more than four city managers involved on this file... there's also been significant change over with the firefighter association negotiating team as we've moved forward through this process," said Brown. "I think it's really been an effort that was influenced by everyone involved."