PEABODY — The city’s firefighters and Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. have agreed to a three-year, $9.2 million contract.
The terms of the accord provides a 2 percent hike retroactive to July, and 2 percent annually through July 2021.
Bettencourt said the deal is on par with other recently negotiated union contracts.
“I’ve been consistent,” he said. “Every contract I’ve done has been a 2 percent raise across the board. We’ve settled teachers and police at 2 percent. Parity is extremely important.”
While the raises total $185,000 over 36 months, there are other financial rewards included in the package.
The city’s 100 firefighters will receive $450 a year in hazardous duty pay, a new provision that will be added to their base salary when calculating retirement benefits; the clothing allowance will increase by $50 per member to $650; and longevity pay will rise by $100, from $400 annually for five years of service to as much as $2,800 for firefighters with 30 years on the job, bringing the total cost of the new contract to $300,000, a nearly 3 percent hike over the previous pact that expired in July.
David Ahearn, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 925, said the addition of hazardous pay was necessary because cancer rates among firefighters are rising. He said the cost of clothing continues to increase, as well.
“It’s an ever-changing job and we’re trying to stay ahead of it,” he said.
Bettencourt said city workers deserve a raise for the hard work they do and the risks firefighters take.
In 2016, a multi-year study of nearly 30,000 firefighters in three major U.S. cities by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found higher rates of certain types of cancer than the rest of the nation’s population. Twice as many firefighters have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, the survey said. In addition, researchers found the chance of lung cancer and leukemia diagnosis or death increased with the amount of time spent at fires.
Peabody City Hall’s relationship with its unions is in stark contrast to some other communities. In Lynn, negotiations between firefighters and former Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy got so nasty last year the dispute ended in court.
In Methuen, salary hikes for the police could have bankrupted the city of 50,259 until the mayor and the union agreed to reduce the pay hikes outlined in the new contract. In one case, a police captain, who earns $157,000 with benefits, would have seen his pay and benefits more than double to $441,000 if the contract was honored.
“I have good relationships with the unions,” said Bettencourt. “Negotiations with the firefighters was very cordial and we were able to strike a deal in short order.”
Ahearn agreed.
“We have a very good relationship with the people across the street,” he said. “We have the same goal of keeping the public and our firefighters safe.”
For more information on mesothelioma go to: mesothelioma.com.
