The impasse between the city of Streator and the firefighters union officially ended during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, concluding negotiations that began April 30, 2017.
Had an agreement not been reached, the firefighters and the city would have entered arbitration, something that Mayor Jimmie Lansford said he is happy they were able to avoid.
“You never know how an arbitrator is going to rule,” Lansford said. “You think they would look at the data and you can think, ‘Oh, they’re going to say this,’ but you never know. They have different things that get taken into consideration that aren’t a high priority to us but it is to them.”
Lansford said it takes man hours and money for legal fees, and he views avoiding arbitration as a positive for both sides.