The city will use about $131,000 from its contingency fund to cover retroactive pay for Kingston’s firefighters under a new labor contract. During a meeting Tuesday, the Common Council unanimously adopted a resolution to transfer $131,186.95 to the fire department. The money will cover the cost of 2017 and 2018 retroactive pay owed to firefighters as part of a three-year contract the city reached with the Kingston Professional Firefighters Association earlier this year.
The new contract, retroactive to the beginning of January 2017, gives firefighters salary increases of 2 percent per year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The city’s total cost for the raises will be $692,350, officials have said.
The 2019 raises will be included in next year’s general city budget.
The union’s previous contract, a five-year deal, expired at the end of 2016.