Saint John report details impact of arbitration decision on city

The mayor of Saint John is once again calling for legislative changes when it comes to the arbitration system in New Brunswick.

This week’s council meeting included a breakdown of what a recent arbitration decision with the fire department will cost taxpayers.

The results did not please city mayor Don Darling, who said the decision will do nothing to improve fire protection.

“Paying people more is not going to improve the service and in fact with our budget challenges that we have this will have an impact on fire service,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Paying people more is not going to improve the service and in fact with our budget challenges that we have this will have an impact on fire service," he said.

READ MORE: Saint John mayor critical of firefighter arbitration decision

The report compares what the city and union’s proposal would have cost taxpayers with what the final decision of the arbitrator will cost.

The city’s five-year offer would have cost taxpayers $5.8 million, while the report says the union’s proposal would have amounted to more than $16.7 million.

The city says the final arbitration decision amounts to an extra $9.4 million.

The Saint John Firefighters Association has defended the decision. It said the pay set by the arbitrator is fair, especially compared with the pay of other professional firefighters in the region.

But Darling is unabashed in his criticism. He says the arbitration system is broken.

“We need legislative change that will force both parties to be reasonable,” Darling said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We need legislative change that will force both parties to be reasonable," Darling said.

WATCH: NB government eliminates binding arbitration provision in omnibus bill

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Organized labour argues the system isn’t broken and that first responders shouldn’t be targets.

“First responders are critical to any city or municipality,” said New Brunswick Federation of Labour President Patrick Colford. “So much so that people will choose to live in a certain municipality because of this.”

Some predict the arbitration issue will be an election issue this year.