Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board ratifies multiple city labor contracts; firefighters— deployment pay and longevity discussed
Summary
The Board suspended rules and ratified tentative agreements with multiple municipal bargaining units. The contracts include provisions on deployment pay for firefighters and phased longevity adjustments; aldermen raised concerns about confidentiality and implementation timing.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to suspend the rules and ratify tentative labor agreements covering numerous city bargaining units, including central fleet, facilities, health, highway, parks and recreation, EPD, fire supervisors, police, airport, library and welfare units. The motion to suspend the rules and pass the contracts was moved and seconded during the May 6 meeting; the board approved the motion and the contracts, as recorded in the meeting transcript.
The contract package includes multiple provisions discussed during public and aldermanic comment. The fire chief explained that a contract article (11.11) clarifies that members deployed by the Manchester Fire Department for FEMA or EMAC missions will be paid time-and-a-half while deployed; those deployments are reimbursed to the city by the requesting authority, the chief said. The city solicitor confirmed the term "deployment" was chosen to reflect legal distinctions from routine mutual aid.
Aldermen and staff also discussed longevity language. The negotiated scale reinstates certain longevity steps but staggers them so some workers will see specific increases in the second year of the contract. Several aldermen expressed concern that members planning retirements could be disadvantaged in the short term; staff and negotiators said only a small number of employees were affected and that most employees would benefit under the new scales.
Several aldermen pressed for earlier public release of tentative agreements once they are reached. Critics said confidentiality delays public review; staff noted that ratified units and documents were posted after final ratification but acknowledged the desire for faster disclosure.
Ending: The board ratified the package of tentative agreements at the May 6 meeting and asked staff to coordinate public release of contract documents and to ensure ordinance changes affecting non-affiliated employees proceed in tandem with the contracts' implementation.
