Warwick Firefighters Union Rejects Contract Proposal, Solomon Issues Statement
GoLocalProv News Team
Warwick Firefighters Union Rejects Contract Proposal, Solomon Issues Statement
As GoLocalProv reported, that Mayor Joseph Solomon claimed that the agreement would have implemented Tier II pension reform, included no salary increases for the life of the agreement and would have resolved years-long issues related to sick and vacation time payments. The Mayor refused to provide GoLocal with a copy of the agreement.
The tentative agreement would have been effective from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2020.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMayor Joseph Solomon issued the following statement:
“I am extremely disappointed with the decision of the majority of the rank-and-file not to approve the two-year, tentative agreement that was reached after many discussions between my administration and the Union’s executive board. Both parties negotiated in good faith in an effort to realize critically important cost savings for the taxpayers in these very challenging fiscal times, to correct mistakes of the past, and to forge a new, positive path forward for the department and the City.
It is unfortunate that the majority of the fire department chose not to join with their police and municipal employee brethren who understand and share my belief that sacrifices need to be made. These department directors and employees have been working diligently to reduce expenses across the board for the benefit of our City and its taxpayers.
Ratification of this agreement would have saved well in excess of $2 million for the taxpayers. I would also note that the recent arbitration decision regarding the Tier II pensions cost the taxpayers in excess of $2.6 million in savings. This vote only exacerbates these costs to the taxpayers going forward. The majority’s vote means that other departments will have to sacrifice further to cover these expenses. It will also greatly restrict our ability to fund the fire department’s requests for new equipment and additional personnel going forward.
Given this setback and the financial impact this will bring on the City, I will be commissioning a fire department study to determine if there are operational and other costs savings that can be realized in order to continue to provide the fire services that the citizens of Warwick expect and deserve.”
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