Council approves new collective agreement with Swift Current firefighters
A new two-year collective agreement for Swift Current firefighters includes a 3.25 per cent annual wage increase and the implementation of a new shift schedule.
Council members approved the new collective agreement during a special council meeting, April 11.
The current collective agreement between the City of Swift Current and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1318 expired at the end of 2023. The two parties began to negotiate a new agreement on Dec. 4, 2023 and a tentative agreement was reached on March 28, 2024.
The membership of IAFF Local 1318 voted in favour of the new agreement on March 29 and the vote of approval by council members during the April 11 council meeting gave the mayor and City clerk the authority to sign the collective agreement.
City Manager of Human Resources Vicky Sutherland said during the council meeting those negotiations between the two parties took place in a positive manner.
“Relations with the members of the IAFF Local 1318 and management for the City continue to be strong and amicable, producing discussions that were reasonable and respectful,” she noted. “As such, all negotiations were completed without the use of external representatives for either side.”
Councillor Ryan Plewis recalled that several collective agreements between the City and IAFF Local 1318 have been negotiated in such a friendly manner since he has been on council, which he felt was a sign of a good labour relationship.
“Those things do matter and relationships are pretty important, particularly when we have union agreements that we need to renegotiate every so often,” he said. “So I think this is a big win for the City of Swift Current as well as for our folks in the department.”
He felt it is significant for a community of the size of Swift Current to have a professional firefighting service. Mayor Al Bridal agreed that this is important.
“It’s so nice for me as a citizen and as mayor to know we have full-time professional firefighters here that are as well trained as likely any in the province and better than many fire services,” Bridal said. “So I do appreciate it.”
The new two-year agreement covers the period Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 28, 2025. There is an annual wage increase of 3.25 per cent effective Jan. 1, 2024 and another 3.25 per cent wage increase on Dec. 30, 2024. There is also a signing bonus of $1,200 for IAFF Local 1318 members.
All out of scope decertified personnel at the fire department who are not IAFF
members will receive the same annual wage increase, but they will not be eligible for the signing bonus.
The new collective agreement includes several other monetary items. The monthly cell phone fee will increase from $25 to $30 and service pay will increase from $10 to $15 per month. Both these benefits will apply retroactively to Jan. 1, 2024.
The lieutenant indexing has been revised in the new agreement with a decreased qualification requirement for a raise.
The three per cent raise for being a lieutenant will now occur after 10 years instead of 15 years.
The accumulation of hours in lieu of overtime worked will decrease in the new agreement from 72 hours to not more than 48 hours. This change is related to the implementation of the 24hour shift system on a trial basis.
Swift Current Fire Chief Ryan Hunter said during a media interview after the council meeting that the 24-hour shift pattern will be a significant change, which is the reason for limiting the collective agreement to only a two-year period.
“We’ve had agreements anywhere from two to six years,” he mentioned. “This one is a shorter term than last time, because they’re trying this 24-hour shift period. So they didn’t want to have a very long contract in case either party were not satisfied with how it was going, because this kind of shift is new for Swift Current.”
The current schedule involves working several days and nights and thereafter getting a certain number of days off. The new arrangement will not change the number of hours worked each month, but only the way it is done. He noted that the details of the 24-hour
shift pattern must still be worked out, because there are two different ways to do it.
“I do know that a lot of departments are moving to the 24-hour shift,” he said. “They feel that there’s less sick time, they feel that there is more time for our firefighters to be condensed at work to get work done and then that gives them more time at home to be with their family. So it’s a lot better for mental health for firefighters.”
He added that other fire departments are also implementing the 24-hour shift pattern on a trail basis to evaluate its usefulness.
“It’s slowly working its way across the prairies and changing the face of firefighting,” he said. “This is going to be a change for us and in the firefighter world this is what we do. So I think we’ll have a transition that’s going to be agreed to and we’ll work forward together.”
The trial 24-hour shift is one of two letters of understanding included in the new collective agreement. The other is about a lateral move incentive to make it easier for firefighters from elsewhere to make a career move to Swift Current.
“There’s a four-year program of pay increments and if they’re coming with two or more years of experience from another fire department, they don’t start at Swift Current at the bottom of the pay scale,” he explained.
“They’ll start at step two of the pay scale. They’re going to let them use their experience from a full-time career department and bring that to Swift Current without having to start at the bottom of a wage scale.”
This collective agreement between the City and IAFF Local 1318 applies to the 17 firefighters currently employed full-time at the Swift Current Fire Department. The 3.25 per cent wage increase effective Jan. 1, 2024 will increase the entry level annual wage to around $65,000. Hunter felt the new agreement will keep Swift Current competitive with similar size fire departments in the province such as North Battleford and Yorkton.
“This just makes it more solid of what we can offer people,” he said. “It also makes it more solid for our staff who are working here to go forward knowing exactly what is going to happen for the next two years for them.”
Hunter, who is a member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, was not part of the negotiations for the new collective agreement. The City follows this arrangement during collective agreement negotiations to avoid any potential workplace friction at the fire hall, which can be a real concern when negotiations do not go as smooth as it did this time.
“It’s a very wise decision that I get pulled out of that scenario so that it doesn’t throw conflict into our working space and into our fire hall,” he said.
“It’s pretty hard to move forward if people aren’t getting along. So by pulling me out, it actually increases the positivity and the working relationship with the union firefighters and the administration team. … It is such a pleasure and such a bonus to have that kind of trust and that kind of a working relationship.”
Left and below: The Swift Current Oratorio Choir performs under direction of Marcia Mclean during their spring concert, April 14. Right: Choir member Arlie Neufeld (at left) receives the Golden Note Award from choral director Marcia Mclean.
REFRESHING SPRING: The Swift Current Oratorio Choir’s spring concert featured an uplifting program of music and the presentation of a provincial award to a long-time choir member. The 2024 spring concert with the theme From Darkness to Light took place at the Zion Mennonite Church, April 14. The diverse musical program included works by Canadian and international composers, varying from sacred and secular choral works to contemporary music by artists such as Gordon Lightfoot and Sting. Violinist Celia Hammerton played with the choir during the performance of a hymn by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. Choral director Marcia Mclean presented the Golden Note Award to choir member Arlie Neufeld. This award is provided by the Saskatchewan Choral Federation to recognize the contribution of individuals to the cultural life of the province through their long-time and active participation in the choral arts for 25 or more years. Neufeld has been a member of the soprano section of the Swift Current Oratorio Choir since 1975. She has been the organist at St. Olaf’s church for 48 years and continues to play for the congregation. She has played at numerous events since she and her husband moved to Swift Current in 1974, including Melodies of Christmas at First United Church, over 150 weddings and many funerals. Her contribution to musical activity in the community includes being on the music festival board and committee as well as being an accompanist during festivals.