Ending two years of contentious negotiations, Louisville's firefighters approved a four-year contract today that gives them their first hourly wage increase since 2004.
The vote was 300-123 in favor of the deal, union officials said, with about 80 percent of 530 members casting ballots.
Firefighters and city officials said they were gratified to reach an agreement and put the acrimony behind them, even if not everyone is fully satisfied.
Craig Willman, president of Louisville Professional Fire Fighters Local 345, said firefighters are probably feeling melancholy about the contract because it didn't give them everything they wanted. However, he said it provides a good foundation for future contracts.
"In the future, we plan on working with metro government in a positive manner," Willman said. "We want to try to mend some fences."
Kerri Richardson, spokeswoman for Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson, said the mayor was pleased with the results of the vote.
"It's a fair contract for both sides, the city and the firefighters," Richardson said. "We are really pleased to have this long negotiation finished."
Willman said the contract covers a period from July 2005 to June 2009 and offers no raises for the first year. In subsequent years, the raises are 2.3 percent, 3.8 percent and 2 percent, he said.It sets firefighters' starting salary at $11.19 an hour, before the scheduled annual wage increases, Willman said. It gives "longevity" raises for years of service on top of annual wage increases, and it resolves contention between the city and firefighters over vacation scheduling, officials said.
The wage increases will be retroactive, and will include firefighters who retired or were hired last year.
"It's been a lot of hard work from our negotiating committee," said Capt. Jody Meiman. "I am pleased we can finally move on."
Twice firefighters rejected proposals agreed to by the administration and their union leaders. Over the summer, firefighters decided to accept the last proposal they had rejected, but by then the administration said they were too late.
A final round of talks produced the agreement.
Firefighters had let the public know they were unhappy, picketing at events such as Thunder Over Louisville and Abramson's budget presentation. At times they've held signs and wore T-shirts with slogans such as, "We have gone from heroes to zeroes."
One issue that is still to be resolved is how overtime pay is calculated.
Firefighters have claimed that the administration has underestimated their rate of overtime pay for years, and the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled in firefighters' favor in August.
Richardson said then that the ruling would cost the city "up to $60 million," and the city has appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court.