Fulton, Firefighters Start Negotiations

FULTON, NY – This past month, the city of Fulton sealed a new four-year labor agreement with the CSEA after the union ratified the contract. It was the first of the three unions that represent city employees to close negotiations and vote on a new contract.

According to Fulton Mayor Ronald Woodward, the city is closing in on an agreement with the Fulton Police Benevolent Association, as well, and will meet with that group next week.

Once that is wrapped up, Woodward said that the city will focus its attentions on negotiations with the Fulton Firefighters Association.

The city and the firefighters union met for the first time Monday.

“We sat down for the first time,” Woodward said. He noted that both sides laid out the items that they want to see addressed as the contract negotiations move forward.

Negotiations with the union have been delayed because of special circumstances required to fill a vacancy in the department.

“We had a separate issue with the fire department over the assistant chief position,” Woodward said last month. “We wanted to have that resolved first.”

Woodward explained that the city and the department have agreed to fill the assistant chief’s position from outside of the department.

“No one (on staff) wants the job,” he said.

Because the assistant chief’s position is part of the fire department union and not part of the management team, it presented a problem in the negotiation process.

Under the rules for filling the position, an assistant chief has to be a captain or a lieutenant and have at least 12 years experience with the department. Under the contractual rules for a new hire, however, the city would have had to hire a new person under a salary and benefit schedule that does not coincide with the typical terms for an assistant chief.

“You aren’t going to get someone with a lot of experience to leave another position to come here and start at a first-year firefighter’s pay,” Woodward said. “But the union had to agree to change that first.”

Woodward said that the city and the union ironed out the details and agreed to the terms necessary to make that hire that did not present a contractual conflict. He noted that there are some issues that are being worked out through civil service. Once that is complete, interviews will begin.

“As far as the union and the city of Fulton are concerned, the issues we had are gone,” Woodward said.

He noted that the two sides will meet for their next negotiations session in two weeks.

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