COPS VS. FIREFIGHTERS

Toronto firefighters’ wages and benefits have increased alongside those of their police counterparts over the years. Here are some of the highlights of recent contracts.

POLICE, 2015-18 Wages: 8.5-per-cent increase over four years, adding $65 million to the city budget by 2018. Salary of a first-class constable by 2018: $98,452

Benefits: Psychological counselling benefit goes up by almost 60 per cent from $2,200 to $3,500 per year.

Concessions: The sick pay “gratuity,” allowing employees to bank up to 18 days of unused sick time a year, and cash out at retirement, no longer applies to those hired. However, new hires will continue to have the right to accumulate and bank sick leave credits. Pay increases for new recruits will occur after every

14 months, not 12 months. Vacation bonus abolished.

What the city failed to get: Separate uniform and civilian members for wage increase purposes with smaller increase for civilians; abolish retention pay for new hires; reduce retention pay for existing members; abolish civilian service pay for new hires; freeze service pay for existing civilians; abolish lieu time for lunches not taken.

Economic climate: All city agencies and divisions were under pressure to cut costs, but in 2016, the police budget increased by 2.76 per cent ($27 million) due to the wage hike approved by council.

POLICE, 2011-14

Wages: 11.4-per-cent increase over four years, adding $23 million to city budget in 2012 alone. Salary of first-class constable by 2014: $90,621 Benefits: Deal includes improved vacations and increases to vision care and massage therapy.

What the city failed to get: Loosened language to allow management to reduce the necessity of two-officer cars after dark and a cost-saving change to the shift schedule.

Economic climate: Despite pushing all city agencies to chop spending, then-mayor Rob Ford signed off on a deal that boosted salaries. FIREFIGHTERS, 2010-14 Wages: 14.26-per-cent increase over five years, adding $45.7 million to the city budget by 2014. Salary of a first-class firefighter by 2014: $90,623

Concessions: Employee sick pay gratuity cut in half so employees are only able to bank up to a maximum six months salary, saving the city about $9.4 million.

Arbitration: The firefighters’ contract expired Dec. 31, 2009 and arbitration began two years later. It took another two years before the decision was handed down in 2013.

Economic climate: The city believes the arbitrator’s award is excessive, even though the decision was, in part, based on the deal the Rob Ford administration freely negotiated with the Toronto Police Association. In 2012, then-premier Dalton McGuinty said the province should consider expanding the end of banked sick days beyond teachers to include police and firefighters. FIREFIGHTERS, 2007-09 Wages: 10-per-cent increase over three years. Salary of a first-class firefighter by 2009: $78,741 Economic climate: Council approved the deal, giving firefighters wage hikes well above inflation, without discussion or a recorded vote.