By Andrew de Souza

Firefighters and city can’t agree on wage increase

Mar 14, 2011 | 6:16 AM

The Prince Albert Firefighter’s union and the City of Prince Albert will go to arbitration over wage disputes.

The department’s contract expired on Dec. 31, 2009 and several negotiation sessions occurred afterwards.

However, according to documents before city council, neither group can agree over how much of an increase is right for the fire department.

The union is seeking a one-year eight per cent increase plus an additional 30 cents for late-night shifts or otherwise inconvenient shifts.

The union also wants to include what is known as “me too” provision that would provide a further increase above right per cent if the Prince Albert Police Service negotiated an increase higher than that amount.

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Union president Llyod Zwack said such a clause had been included in previous contracts.

The city’s offer is a three-year, 10.5 per cent increase with no particular mention of

According to city councillor Greg Dionne, the city’s position is that costs are getting to high and there is a responsibility to keep costs as low as possible.

“The public’s been quite frustrated with us in the last months because of a tax increase we may be looking at,” he said.

“Well one of the biggest challenges we have, in all departments, is labour and I think it’s important for the public to know the challenges we have.”

The report says union membership voted down the city’s offer.

A report to city council said the groups are at an “impasse” after having met several times in 2010 and the only option is for the negotiations to into arbitration.

As an essential service the fire fighters cannot go on strike and the city cannot enforce a lock out. As such, an independent arbitration board must hear arguments and make a decision.

The board will be comprised of three members. Both the city and the department will nominate board members and the two nominees decide on a chairperson.

“The process is fair,” said Zwack.

“We can’t come to an agreement so the process of arbitration is supposed to replicate what both parties could have freely negotiated.”

The board’s ruling will be binding and neither party would be able to appeal or disagree with the decision.

Currently, arbitration is set to begin on Aug. 31, 2011. It is a public hearing.

adesouza@panow.com