OSWEGO, NY – After a lengthy executive session Wednesday night, the Oswego Common Council passed a resolution regarding a five-year agreement with the firefighters’ union.

The council approved authorizing the mayor to sign the extension effective Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2016.

“The Oswego Firefighters’ Association ratified a successor contract to our previous contract, which expired at the close of 2011,” confirmed John Geraci, association president.

It is a five-year contract with an economic package as follows:

• 2012 – 0% wage increase

 

• 2013 – 0% wage increase

 

• 2014- 0% wage increase with a one-time payment of $1,000 not compounded within any future wage increase.

 

• 2015 – 2% wage increase

 

• 2016 – 2% wage increase

“We also took a reduction in the number of firefighters that could be off at any given time as well as a reduction in personal time off,” Geraci added. “There was no increase to the current percentage of health care we pay. We will also be changing to a 24-hour shift.”

“To sum it up, I would say that the members of the Oswego Firefighters’ Association have stepped up in these harsh economic times by making sacrifices that will hopefully allow the fire department to operate without having to decrease the level of service which we provide to the citizens of Oswego,” Geraci continued. “It is an indicator of how important it is to the members of this department to maintain safe daily staffing levels and we are hopeful that city leaders will find ways to work with us in our commitment to public safety.”