Deal follows impasse and months of negotiations
Roseville, Calif,- After months of negotiations, Roseville firefighters and the Roseville City Council have reached agreement on a new labor contract that ensures the continued protection of residents while providing modest salary and benefit increases for employees.
“We are gratified that our difficult negotiations produced a compromise that begins to provide firefighters with the compensation they deserve for performing a job that is vital to the health and safety of our community,” said Jamie Pepin, president of the Roseville Firefighters Union Local 1592.
“While it’s not perfect, we believe this contract will help Roseville move toward recruiting and retaining the quality public safety workers its citizens expect and deserve.”
The agreement comes five months after negotiations between the city and firefighters reached an impasse and almost a year after contract talks began.
One key sticking point was the city’s proposal to reduce pay and benefits for new hires. In addition, firefighters in 2007 agreed to salary and benefit reductions to help the city weather the deepening economic recession. As Roseville’s economy recovered, Local 1592 expected those sacrifices would be answered with salary and benefit increases as promised by the city through the new labor agreement.
Staffing levels were another issue. Although Roseville is on pace to record more than 14,000 calls from city residents this year – a 40 percent increase from 2007 – firefighter staffing levels have not increased to keep up with community demands.
Pepin called the new contract a “good step that hopefully reflects a shared commitment toward improving recruitment, increasing retention of veteran employees, and maintaining fair salaries, healthcare and retirement benefits for firefighters.
“We all believe that the protection of Roseville residents is an essential priority as we look to sustain the success of our city,” Pepin said. “With this agreement, we hope the city is acknowledging the vital role that all public safety employees play in making Roseville the thriving, healthy city we all love.”
The two year labor contract was ratified on Wednesday, October 21st and expires on December 31, 2016.
The Roseville Firefighter’s Local 1592 has been a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) since 1966. The Roseville Firefighters Union is committed to providing a safe level of service for the citizens of the community and the firefighters that serve them. We stand ready and able to protect the entire community from the harm and danger caused by all emergencies. We will accomplish this through prevention efforts, public education, strategic planning, and rapid response with well-trained, highly-qualified professional first responders.