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Council moves Merrimack firefighters’ tentative contract to warrant for voter review
Summary
The council voted unanimously to place a three-year tentative agreement with IAFF Local 2904 on the warrant. The contract includes bereavement leave changes, a sick-leave donation bank, new pay-step structuring and a $1,500 cancer-screening payment in year three if the state does not continue a screening program.
The Merrimack Town Council moved unanimously to place a three-year tentative collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 2904 (firefighters and paramedics) on the warrant for voter consideration.
Paul, the town staff presenter, said the agreement expands bereavement leave to cover grandchildren, establishes an employee donation sick-leave bank for extended absences, clarifies leave-accrual rules during unpaid leaves, and sets initial provisions for protective gear for firefighters. "We came to a tentative agreement with the Merrimack IAFF 2904. That is the firefighter and paramedics in the fire department," Paul said.
The contract also added a military-leave process allowing up to 96 hours of paid military leave per contract year, limited town supplementation of workers'-compensation benefits for new hires effective March 1, 2026, and updated certification-related incentives. Paul highlighted a provision to provide $1,500 per bargaining-unit member in the third year for cancer screening if the state program does not continue, noting the town and union view early detection as a priority.
On pay, Paul described a restructuring that reduced one step, added a 2.5 percent step progression on the back end, and provided a 3 percent raise for several firefighter classifications; the goal is to improve paramedic recruitment and retention and move Merrimack’s pay ranking closer to peer communities. "Our goal is to hire more paramedics," Paul said, adding the town hopes to reach at least two paramedics per shift.
The town presented the contract cost impacts as: approximately $414,000 in the first year, about $138,003 in the second year, and roughly $175,000 in the third year (figures presented during the meeting). Paul reminded the council that, once placed on the warrant, the dollar amounts as presented cannot be changed by the council and will be decided by voters at the public hearing and deliberative session.
The Chair called for a motion to move the tentative agreement to the warrant; the motion carried 6-0-0.
What happens next: the contract language and figures will be read at the public hearing and then go to the deliberative session and ballot as presented.
