Ann Arbor firefighters are getting retroactive raises going back more than two years.
The City Council voted 9-1 to OK a three-year contract with the firefighters union Tuesday night, Jan. 22.
The last negotiated collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2016. The new one runs Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019.
Per the negotiated terms, firefighters will get a 2.5 percent retroactive raise for 2017, a 2.5 percent retroactive raise for 2018, and a 2.5 percent raise for 2019 retroactive to Jan. 1.
The city’s contribution to retiree health reimbursement accounts for eligible firefighters also is increasing from $2,500 to $3,500 per year, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017.
Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, cast the lone dissenting vote on the firefighters contract.
The raises are appropriate, she said, but she has concerns about the pension plan structure for new firefighters.
Since 2017, newly hired non-union city employees and new hires in most of the city’s union groups, including AFSCME, have been on a new hybrid pension plan structure, Lumm said.