Firefighters get pay raise, cadet program
Warren firefighters got an early Christmas present last week when Warren City Council ratified a one-year contract extension that increases pay and adds a cadet program.
“I think the biggest win for the firefighters overall is the ability to recruit and retain employees now,” said Joe Schehr, President of Warren Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1383. “This is going to really solve a problem that we have been facing for a long time.”
The Warren Fire Department has had a number of vacancies for a number of years due in part to retirement and in part to the low starting wages Warren offered compared to surrounding cities. The Warren Fire Department is the busiest in Macomb County logging in the area of 20,000 runs annually.
The new agreement adds one year to the current contract, which moves the expiration date to June 30, 2024. It eliminates the twotier system for payscale which increases the pay of current Tier 2 fire employees by $13,500 per year. All firefighters will now be considered Tier 1 and will make an $83,543 annual salary, which is a 3% increase for those who were already Tier 1 workers.
“It will absolutely make us competitive,” said Warren Fire Commissioner Wilbert “Skip” McAdams. “The new agreement does not mean that Warren will have the highest wages in the tri-county area, however, we will be in the top three. When you combine wages and all of the benefits, we will be competitive with every other department.”
Schehr said Warren firefighters previously had the lowest pay in the county and estimates that the new deal, in particular the elimination of the Tier 2 payscale, puts Warren in the top five departments in the county.
“This is going to make us more competitive in the market and we will be able to solve the hiring crisis that we have been facing for a long time,” said Schehr. “We’ve lost employees in the past to other municipalities due to wages or benefits or both and with elimination of the second tier wage structure and moving everyone into the higher wage structure, I really believe it is going to solve that problem.”
The agreement also adds two holidays for union firefighters: Juneteenth and Indigenous Persons Day/Columbus Day.
Overtime hours will be capped at 926 for those who work a 56-hour week and 675 for 40-hour employees. The issue of overtime hours was scrutinized in February when it came to light that some firefighters had logged enough overtime hours in 2020 to push their annual salary in excess of $200,000. Staffing issues and the impact of the COVID pandemic led to that situation. Since then, there has been concern expressed by the City Council, the administration and union officials with regard to how those overtime hours will affect pensions and retirement benefits.
“The firefighters, just like the police officers, want a healthy pension system and we recognize that over time, it is not a sustainable cost for any municipality,” said Schehr. “That is why we felt so great about this contract with the elimination of that second tier which means we will be able to hire more employees which will reduce overtime for the city and reduce the unfunded liability on the pension system.
“This is a great financial win for the firefighters and for the city and a great day for both sides.”
McAdams said the settlement addresses two major concerns of his department: having pay that is competitive with other departments and widening the candidate pool for new hires. The creation of a cadet program will help ensure there are a number of viable candidates for openings when they occur.
“There are a limited number of candidates out there and we are adding to the pool of certified candidates by having the cadet program,” said McAdams. “We are looking not only to hire the best but to create the best.”
Currently the Warren FIre Department has 20 vacant positions and over the next five years, McAdams expects to hire an additional 25 to 30 firefighters based on the number of current employees who will be eligible for retirement during that time. Through the new cadet program, tuition, books and uniforms for EMT and fire academy classes will be paid by the city.
“When I was hired as a firefighter back in the day, I competed with 700 other applicants,” said McAdams. “We have been getting applicant pools of four or five candidates. We won’t get back to 700, but we are adding to the pool and will be able to monitor the cadets every step of the way.”
Negotiations between the firefighters union and the administration have been ongoing for more than five months. Both McAdams and Schehr said the process was a group effort with both sides working toward the same goal. Schehr thanked Mayor James Fouts, city controller Richard Fox, McAdams, city human resources director George Dimas, Warren City Council and other elected officials for helping to forge the new contract and move negotiations forward.
“This was really a team effort,” said Schehr. “The union and the city came together because we want the same thing. We want a great fire department, we want great city services and with this agreement I believe we will be able to do that.”