APPRO-2024-43 : An appropriation from Contract Stabilization in the amount of $502,297 to the Fire Department (#221) to fund Fiscal Year 2024 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Transcript (~9 min @ 16:40)

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▶ 16:30 Ryan Williams: Okay, great. We have four appropriate, we have four orders before us tonight. All appropriations. The first is appropriation 2024 dash 43 and appropriation from contract stabilization in the amount of $502,297 to the fire department fund. Number 2, 2 1. To fund fiscal year 2024 of the collective bargaining agreement. Uh, and I will entertain a motion to suspend Rule 37 B so that we can hear from members of the city administration.

▶ 16:57 Robb Stewart: Mr. Vice chair, I'll make a motion to suspend Rule 7 37 B. Second.

▶ 17:00 Ryan Williams: Okay. Motion to suspend by Councilor Stewart. Seconded by Councillor Rio. Uh, roll call please.

▶ 17:08 Speaker 3: Councillor Gpe? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councillor Chetty? Yes. Councillor Hamilton? Yes. Councillor Roal. Yes. Councillor Finocchiaro. Yes. President Meli? Yes. Uh, chair Jamal Dean? Yes. And Vice Chair Williams? Yes. Motion passes.

▶ 17:24 Ryan Williams: Great. So the rules are suspended.

▶ 17:26 Speaker 1: Great. Good evening, honorable counselors. Uh, Shannon Phillips, city Solicitor. This order is before you tonight as a result of successor contract that we just entered into with the fire union, uh, a few weeks ago. Local 1 6 1 7. Um, and this contract is gonna be in effect from July 3rd, 2023 to July 28th, 26. Um, the order tonight is requesting an appropriation for the first fiscal year of the contract, which is the fiscal year that just ended. Um, and my understanding is it's coming from the contract stabilization fund. Um, I can highlight for you if few agreed upon terms from the contract, which I did have in the memo that I submitted. Um, for the agenda as part of this meeting, um, cost of living adjustments that we agreed to 2.25 for the first fiscal year, which is the one that just passed 2%. 2%. We did do market rate adjustments as I know we've previously, um, discussed, uh, 2000 to the wage schedule in the first year, 500, the year after 500 the year after that, plus a 1% market adjustment. Um, the union also agreed for the first time to add a new position of Assistant chief, which has been attempted in previous contracts, um, and has not previously been successful. Um, ambulance duty incentive, you'll, you'll notice a lot of the highlights from this contract are relative to the ambulance and EMT service, since that is the most difficult. Um, that's the most difficulties of the department and other departments in Massachusetts are having at the moment of hiring, um, qualified candidates to fill those positions. So you'll see we have an ambulance duty incentive that we've added another dollar 50 an hour for anyone who works on the ambulance, um, to try to get members to volunteer for those shifts. Um, an increase in EMT premium payments, which hadn't been updated since fiscal 17. Um, and there's gonna be a working group established between the union and, um, fire department admin, including the chief, which, um, to discuss policies and procedures which have long been needed to exist in the fire department, um, in a comprehensive form. And we're gonna, um, implement the current versions within six months, um, after this council funds the contract. Um, I'm happy to answer any questions council might have. Other than that

▶ 19:23 Ryan Williams: Counselor Hamilton, thank you.

▶ 19:25 Ward Hamilton: Thank you for being with us. And you may not have this answer, but, um, you just said that service on the ambulances on a volunteer basis,

▶ 19:36 Speaker 1: Um, no, I apologize. Um, I apologize. I miss Stoke misspoke. Um, in the past year, um, there's been a lot of forced overtimes. Okay. So what I meant by that is we're hoping to get a lot of people to take overtimes on the ambulance. Great.

▶ 19:49 Speaker 3: Thank you. That's All. I apologize. Yeah, no, no,

▶ 19:52 Speaker 4: No, that's fine. Thanks. Uh, councilor Stewart.

▶ 19:54 Robb Stewart: Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Thank you Ms. Phillips for being here. That's very helpful.

▶ 19:59 Speaker 5: Um, so when I look at the numbers, right,

▶ 20:02 Robb Stewart: so COLA is 2.25 and two and two, and then the, you have a market rate adjustment that adds additional 1%. So that's gonna be, if I look at it, 3.25 and three and three, which is over 2.5% on a year to year basis. So the, the money that would cover from that, is that anticipated then to be covered by, um, the contract stabilization on an ongoing year by year basis?

▶ 20:33 Speaker 1: No. Um, so going forward this would be part of the operating budget. It's just that we have to pay the retro. So that's why it's coming from the contract stabilization.

▶ 20:41 Robb Stewart: Okay. So this retro, so then we're going to be biting into a little bit of something else because we're gonna be over 2.5% if I understand this correctly. Yes. Do you have any idea where that's gonna come from or do you, I know it's a hard question

▶ 20:55 Speaker 1: To Yeah, it would be part of the operating budget. We would just,

▶ 20:59 Robb Stewart: Okay. And my second question is regarding this assistant chief, this is a new position. It would be a new position. So an added position. And what is the approximate yearly loaded cost of that resource?

▶ 21:15 Speaker 1: I, this is, it's, this is not gonna be an immediate, uh, obviously immediate addition since it wasn't contemplated in the current budget. It also needs to go through the civil ser. We also have to get a civil service, which is an easier process, but a little bit lengthier in doing a al petition to the state. So I don't anticipate this being any time in the near future, maybe in the next few years, but yeah.

▶ 21:35 Robb Stewart: Okay. So you don't anticipate this being an added resource for fiscal year 25 or even potentially fiscal year 26 is what

▶ 21:45 Speaker 1: I'm hearing? It could be possibly fi fiscal 26, but yeah.

▶ 21:48 Robb Stewart: Okay. Alright. And

▶ 21:49 Speaker 1: No guarantees on the dates, but yeah, that's definitely not this fiscal year.

▶ 21:53 Robb Stewart: Okay. So this, so the money that's coming from contract stabilization is not covering salary then, is what I'm hearing as well, that will then roll into the operating budget for the following year? Correct. Okay. Okay. Great. Alright. Thank you. If that helps. Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Council Carpe.

▶ 22:09 Speaker 6: Um, thank you. Um, Mr. Chair, um,

▶ 22:14 Mark Garipay: council Stewart touched on a couple of my questions. Um, I understand the mayor, it's, you know, mayor's our negotiator, um, and I fully support the capital stabilization, um, for the, for the, uh, retro for the, uh, firefighters ahead. Just want to touch a little bit the question regarding the assistant chief, that which is a new position. I kind of have the same question, uh, as Council Stewart, we're gonna hold off. 'cause I'm worried if maybe until we have full staff or close to full staff, 'cause that's gonna add added expense into our overtime budget, which was already cut this year. So if I heard you correctly, we think it'll be, that position will take place when we get closer to fully staffed. I would assume.

▶ 22:57 Speaker 1: I would, I would assume so. We haven't had those specific discussions yet, but the assistant chief will come from either the captain rank or the lieutenant rank within the department. So everyone would sort of bump up. So yeah, I think it would not be an

▶ 23:09 Speaker 3: immediate fill of that position,

▶ 23:11 Speaker 6: But as they bump up, we have more overtime 'cause we'll lose that position. Yes,

▶ 23:14 Speaker 3: Correct. That's so

▶ 23:16 Speaker 1: that all has to be taken into account, right? So this is not, yeah.

▶ 23:20 Mark Garipay: And then the, the, um, only other question, I guess, um, would be for Ms. Golden Mm-Hmm. On the heels of the override a couple weeks ago that failed in a zero level funded more or less budget for the fire department. Mm-Hmm. Do you feel that we're gonna be able to absorb this within the budget if nothing changes in FY 26?

▶ 23:46 Speaker 1: So as far as FY 25 is concerned, uh, what we do know, we still have a number of vacancies.

▶ 23:52 Speaker 6: I'm sorry, would be F 2025. I apologize. Yeah.

▶ 23:55 Speaker 1: Yeah. So we know that we still have a number of vacancies to fill. So, uh, what we saw in FY 24, there was a surplus of $235,000 in salaries for FY 24. So if we kind of follow that pattern, we've gone a couple years not being fully staffed. Um, but it is a concern once we start to get fully staffed, um, that, you know, it, we would have to look each year when we're doing the budget whether or not, um, you know, we can afford this or make adjustments in other areas to afford it. So.

▶ 24:33 Mark Garipay: Okay. If, if we were fully staffed, do we know what the annual cost would be on this? If we were fully staffed that, did we, um, have any numbers during the negotiations or We do have those numbers.

▶ 24:43 Speaker 3: Yeah. What the impact would be

▶ 24:44 Speaker 1: the one, we could get those numbers Too. We do have them, yeah. Yeah.

▶ 24:47 Mark Garipay: Okay. Um, that was it. Thank you.

▶ 24:54 Speaker 4: Anybody else? No further questions

▶ 24:59 Speaker 4: that, what's will of the committee?

▶ 25:02 Robb Stewart: Mr. Er, I'll make a motion to recommend to the full counsel. Second.

▶ 25:05 Ryan Williams: Okay. Motion to recommend by Councilor Stewart. Seconded by Councilor Repe. Roll call please. On discussion. Seeing none, roll call please.

▶ 25:13 Speaker 3: Councilor Repe? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Che? Yes. Councillor Hamilton? Yes. Councillor Romanul? Yes. Councillor naca? Yes. President Elli? Yes. Uh, chair Jamal Dean?