Firefighter Contract Dispute Going to Arbitration This Week

An arbitration hearing is set for May 19 on a contract between the city and its firefighters, whose last contract expired 16 months ago.

Both sides say the main issues of the contract have been resolved, but the city has not signed the agreement because of what Law Director Ken Kraus calls "a technical issue" over wage scale figures.

"It has to do with the calculation of paramedics' pay," Kraus said.

Firefighters' previous contract expired in December 2009. The firefighters union voted to accept a new agreement hammered out by a factfinder last fall, but the city challenged the wage scale numbers.

Strongsville firemedic Tony Hunt, the department's union spokesman, said the wage scale is the same one in use for the last several years. But he said the city is now interpreting the scale differently.

"They're saying they were overpaying us," Hunt said.

The new contract is a three-year deal that would run through 2012. 

Even though the two sides are at odds, Hunt said no hard feelings have developed.

"We feel the city's in the wrong -- that's why we took it to arbitration," he said. "We'll let a third party decide."