The Moraga-Orinda Fire District came within one vote of a near meltdown.
A deeply divided MOFD board narrowly approved a three-year labor contract with the firefighters union Oct. 3 and staved off an impasse and a likely unfair labor practice charge filed by the union had the agreement not been passed. The board voted 3-2 in favor, with the swing vote coming from Director Steve Anderson, who had previously balked that the agreement was overly generous to the union.
"It was political suicide," Anderson said of his vote to approve the agreement. "But it was the best thing to do for the district. We needed that so that MOFD can move on, and the chief can do the job he wants to do." Anderson is fighting a hotly contested Division 3 race against a union-backed candidate and an independent.
The agreement includes a 13 percent wage increase over the three years, a portion of which is a 5 percent equity adjustment, used to address how far district employee wages had drifted below comparable compensation in the market. "It was a way to catch up to the median," said district lead negotiator Jeff Sloan.