OC Fire Employees to Pay Retirement Costs in New Deal

A three-year agreement which includes requiring employees to pay all their share of retirement costs was approved tonight by the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors.

Under the memorandum of understanding which was approved by members of the Orange County Employees Association on Jan. 14, employees will be required to pay 100 percent of their own retirement costs by phasing in their share over the three years of the agreement.

The board voted 21-1 to approve the memorandum, with Villa Park Councilman Rick Barnett voting no and Westminster Mayor Tri Ta abstaining.

“We believe in creating a fair and equitable agreement for our employees, but we must also ensure that the interests of taxpayers within our 23 cities and the county are protected through this MOU,” said OCFA Board of Directors Chair Al Murray.

The memorandum of understanding runs from Dec. 19, 2014 to Dec. 15, 2017.

Under the agreement, employees hired before Jan. 1, 2013 will pay an additional 2.5 percent and 3 percent in employee contributions, respectively, raising their contributions from 9 percent to 16.5 percent. These employees will also have to pay any subsequent increases in the 50 percent of normal cost of employee contributions that occur.

Employees hired after enactment of California’s Public Employees Pension Reform Act of 2013 will continue to be subject to its requirement of assuming 50 percent of normal cost for employee pension contributions.

Employees will receive pay increases of 2.75 percent, 2.5 percent and 3 percent over the three years of the agreement. Bilingual pay will also be increased from $35 per month to $135 per month for eligible employees.

Effective March 6, sick leave and vacation hours taken will no longer count as hours worked for purposes of earning overtime pay. Employees will also receive one additional holiday, Christmas Eve.

Employees can also begin working a four day/10 hours per day work schedule with the approval of executive management.

The fire authority and its employees will begin classification/compensation studies on three pre-defined classes and reopen negotiations on compensation for those positions once the studies have been completed.

The parties agreed to reopen negotiations on 24-hour work shift for fire communication dispatchers after July 1, 2016.

• City News Service