Central Coventry Firefighters Make Concessions Under New Labor Agreement

The state-appointed receiver in charge of the Central Coventry Fire District this week released a new 5-and-a-half year contract with firefighters that is expected to save millions in exchange for a number of concessions including layoffs, overtime restrictions and other items.

The agreement can be viewed HERE.

The receiver, Mark A. Pfeiffer, said at a fire district meeting earlier this week that the contract is expected to save the district $2.3 million next year. It should shave $1.7 million in costs for the district through Aug. 31 of this year, too.

In exchange, firefighters will see the department reduced from 45 to 32 members. Instead of four 10-person platoons, there will be three with eight members each. Firefighters will work 56 hour weeks and overtime will be limited to $120,000 per year.

Central Coventry Fire Chief Shawn Murray said that while he did not actively negotiate the contract, the changes “compared to the former [collective bargaining agreement] will result in savings that can focus on assuring that operational needs of the district are addressed. Labor costs in any career fire service organization contain the highest cost percentage of the operating budget.

“By virtue of the 67 pages contained in the collective bargaining agreement one can see the complexity in negotiating labor contracts,” Murray said. “Add the process of bankruptcy and the need to bargain contracts that are affordable to the taxpayer, this recent collective bargaining agreement was negotiated following the legal mandate to bargain in good faith while at the same time given consideration on cost containment that will move the Central Coventry Fire District out from under bankruptcy and to a stronger financial future.”

Firefighters will also see their health insurance deductibles go up by 33 percent along with other increases in health insurance cost sharing arrangements. But union members will see some raises for the first time in a few years. The increases are: 6 percent this year (taking into account the past two years with no raises) and raises of 3 percent every year for the next five years except in 2017 when they will get two percent.

Pfeiffer has sweeping authority to negotiate contracts as receiver so long as the district is in bankruptcy. The district filed for bankruptcy protection late last year.