New wage settlement pushes most Kitchener firefighter salaries over $100K

KITCHENER — Kitchener has reached a new deal with its firefighters that will see most firefighters earning more than six figures next year.

The agreement, which runs for three years until the end of 2020, gives firefighters a cumulative increase of just over 5.25 per cent during that period.

That increase will push the salary for a four-year firefighter over $100,000 by next year.

Inflation in Ontario has hovered around 2.2 per cent in 2018, making these increases below the projected inflation increases over the same period.

It’s the second agreement in a row that the city and firefighters have reached without going to arbitration. In a news release, Mayor Berry Vrbanovic called the deal a fair one.

Under the agreement, the 224 unionized members of the fire service receive a 1.25 per cent increase, retroactive to January; they also get increases of 0.9 per cent in January 2019, and one per cent in July 2019, January 2020 and July 2020. That averages out to 1.79 per cent a year, the city said.

By comparison, other unionized city staff will get increases of about 1.75 per cent in 2018 and 2019.

Before the increases, a first-class firefighter earned $97,901. The firstclass salary will surpass $100,000 when the second increase kicks in next January and will reach $103,047 on July 1, 2020.

The agreement requires a new recruit to work an extra year, for a total of four years, before reaching the rank and salary of first-class firefighter, by creating a new classification of fifth class firefighter for the newest recruits.

The agreement also boosts psychological health benefits in recognition of the stresses of the job.

The agreed-upon increases do not include so-called “recognition pay” for firefighters, which boosts annual salaries based on years of service. A firefighter with eight to 16 years of experience gets an additional three per cent increase each year, on top of the base increase; a firefighter with 17 to 22 years gets an additional six per cent a year, and a firefighter with 23 years or more gets an additional nine per cent on top of the base increase.

The majority of Kitchener’s firefighters collect that bonus, which adds about $3,000 to $8,500 to the base salary.

The fire service is the single most expensive service the city provides, accounting for more than one-quarter of the city’s tax-supported spending, though fire department employees make up about 19 per cent of all city employees. It has an annual operating budget of $34.2 million, most of which is spent on firefighting. The department has 230 staff, including 183 firefighters at seven stations around the city.