A new labor contract for city firefighters is heading for conciliation.
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 480 members recently rejected a state fact finder’s report, which amounted to a proposed labor contract. City Council did not take a vote on the same report.
“The fact finder report does not become the terms of the collective bargaining agreement if either party rejects it,” said attorney Ryan Lemmerbrock of Cleveland, who is representing the firefighters’ union. “We proceed into conciliation for a binding decision unless the parties reach a settlement prior to that. We have not selected a conciliator yet.”
Lemmerbrock declined to comment on issues coming between the bargaining unit and city officials.
However, a written statement from the office of Mayor Alan Andreani says the union members requested pay increases of six percent in each of the first two years of the proposed three-year contract and seven percent in the third year. The fact finder, however, recommended pay raises of one percent in the first year and two percent for the second and third years.