After nearly seven years of tense and often hostile contract talks, the London Professional Fire Fighters Association (LPFFA) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the City of London.
Speaking on The Craig Needles Show on AM980 Thursday morning, LPFFA president Jason Timlick confirmed the news saying their members will hold a ratification vote on the contract late next week. The exact date has yet to be decided.
“There’s a lot of hard work and long hours on both sides put into getting to where we are right now,” Timlick said. “It’s been a long six-plus years so (I’m) very pleased (with) where we are.”
London’s firefighters have been without a contract since December 2010 making their dispute with the city the longest in Canadian firefighting history.
During the talks between the LPFFA and the City of London, staff pushed for a number of concessions including an end to wage parity between firefighters and members of the London Police Service and outsourcing of dispatching to save an estimated $1 million per year.
The LPFFA’s frustration with the city’s bargaining team was apparent when the association petitioned city councillors to speak before them at a public meeting in October 2016.
The motion failed in a tie vote by the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee and again by a vote of 8-4 at full council.
London’s recently departed former city manager Art Zuidema was often seen as a controversial figure when it came to contract talks with municipal employees. The LPFFA, London Police Services Board and inside workers represented by CUPE Local 101 all faulted their negotiations with Zuidema and his team for poor communication and an unwillingness to budge at the bargaining table.
READ MORE: Council keeping quiet on details of Art Zuidema’s termination
When asked about the change in leadership and a possible difference in bargaining style between Zuidema and newly appointed city manager Martin Hayward, Timlick paused before giving a cautious reply.
“I would say that I’ve enjoyed meeting and speaking with Martin Hayward and enjoyed the conversations and the productive nature (they’ve had),” Timlick said. “I’m very appreciative of the hard work my executive board has put into this, the patience of my members and the hard work that Martin and the (City of London) and his team have put into it.”
Mayor Matt Brown also spoke on The Craig Needles Show Thursday morning expressing his pleasure that a deal had been reached.
When asked for his thoughts on whether Zuidema’s departure and Hayward’s arrival made a difference in talks, the mayor wouldn’t say.
“Sometimes processes take great lengths of time, this one certainly did. I feel there was always a desire, and a mutual desire, to come together and to find an agreement that can work for the community and for the (LPFFA).”
“It’s a good day for our community, this is a positive step forward, but we’re not there yet,” Brown said noting the contract still needs to be ratified by the LPFFA and city council.
The mayor said he hopes to schedule special meetings of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee and city council for either next Friday or Saturday for councillors to review the deal.
Until that’s done, the terms of the tentative agreement won’t be made public.
Those details include just how much London taxpayers will be on the hook for in retroactive pay for London firefighters and the city’s legal bill for the lengthy arbitration and mediation process which will likely be millions of dollars.
When asked if he could comment on how the contract and retroactive pay may impact London’s multi-year budget, Mayor Brown said he’d speak specifically about that next week, but that council considered “all kinds of contingencies” as it planned the financial road map, including a situation that might involve prolonged negotiation.
“We’re prepared. Martin Hayward (…) as our city treasurer has always been a very conservative individual when it comes to budgeting,” Brown said.
“That’s one of the reasons for 40 years we’ve had a triple-A credit rating.”
Comments