Contract talks get ignited this week between the city of Vernon and its professional firefighters. Local union president Brent Bond says he's hoping for a fair and respectful process, that won't take too long. He represents 30 firefighters and dispatchers. Mayor Wayne Lippert says they have good relations with the department, and he's optimistic. "These guys are good. I'm looking forward to it. We've got a good relationship with our firefighters here, and we've put effort into making sure the lines of communication are open." Lippert doesn't expect the union's demands to be out of line, noting the members are part of the community. "They know it's their friends and neighbors that are paying their wages, so I think it would be hard if they got outrageous, or we're really pushing hard for something, that their friends and neighbors would let them hear about it." The union's last contract had a wage hike of 13.5 percent over three years, which Lippert expects to be a little less this time. He says Vernon crews get provincial wage parity, after a court ruling several years ago.\ when city union relations were bitter. Bond says their relationship with the city has improved a lot over the last year. The two sides sit down to begin bargaining Wednesday.
1 comment:
It's good to see Mr. Lippert expects the settlement to be a little less this time. Let's hope it's about 13.5 percent less. In this economy, it's outrageous that any group of public sector employees (nurses included) should be seeking wage increases.
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