Contract Settlements
CONTRACT
“Signing of the contract was delayed since the Employer merged the NEW Full-Time Fire Fighters into the existing contract,” said MAFF Labor Relations Specialist Joe O’Connor.
“Three Full-Time Fire Fighters were added. Existing Paid-on-Call Fire Fighters were promoted (to the Full-Time positions),” said Brad Rennells, Northfield Township Fire Fighters Local Union Treasurer. “It better impacted the services as we were able to fill the schedule. It was very difficult scheduling around everyone’s full-time jobs. We still have the core group of volunteers and we‘ve had a couple new hires since the contract, and we’re also in the process of bringing on a few more, so things are looking bright hopefully,” Rennells said of staff retention. “(Paid-on-Call) used to have a tiered structure, so depending on what we were doing, you were paid differently. Getting that one consistent rate for whatever we were doing was a huge plus on our side. For Lieutenants and Captains … there were pluses and minuses to both stipend and hourly. Collectively, we wished for an hourly wage without stipulations. Previously, you had to make 30% of the calls or you didn’t get paid (the stipend).”
Contract Duration: 3-year agreement ratified Nov. 2021 and effective 7-1-21 thru 6-30-24.
Wage Increases:
$22 hourly effective July 1, 2021 for Paid-on-Call (POC).
$17 hourly effective July 1, 2021 for POC Duty Shifts.
$14.50 hourly effective July 1, 2021 for POC Training.
$20.50 hourly effective Jan. 1, 2022 for POC, Duty Shifts & Training.
$22.66 hourly effective Jan. 1, 2022 for Lieutenants.
$23.87 hourly effective Jan. 1, 2022 for Captains.
Wage Reopener for all above Employees July 1, 2023.
Wage Increases for NEW Full-Time Fire Fighters:
$48,000 annually effective July 1, 2021.
$53,000 annually effective July 1, 2022.
$59,000 annually effective July 1, 2023.
****$68,000 annually effective July 1, 2024.
CONTRACT
“The financial gains made in this contract are noteworthy, but more importantly, some of the internal procedure changes that were made will make Woodhaven Fire Department even more attractive for new hires and make it a better place to work,” said MAFF Labor Relations Specialist Gary McSweeney. “Mainly, having the promotion procedure documented and clearly defining their rank structure are significant improvements in this bargaining agreement.”
Contract Duration: 3-year agreement ratified Feb. 4, 2022 and effective 7-1-21 to 6-30-24.
Wage Increases:
3% increase effective July 1, 2021.
2% increase effective July 1, 2022.
2% increase effective July 1, 2023.
Fringe Benefits: Added Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a paid Holiday.
- Employees may receive payment for: up to 2 unused Personal Days per year; 60 hours of unused Compensatory Time, twice per year; and unused earned Sick Time on a prorated basis annually.
- Vacation Time may be taken as single days. Previously, Employees were required to take Vacation Time as 2-week blocks of time.
- The residency requirement was extended from 25 miles to 30 miles from the City border.
- Increased Part-Time Paramedic bonus based on the number of hours worked in a calendar year.
- Increased clothing and equipment allowances for Full-Time Employees from $650 to $750 per year. Established clothing and equipment allowances for Part-Time Employees based upon hours worked in a calendar year as follows: 576 hours = $200 allowance; 850 hours = $300 allowance; and 1,200 hours = $400 allowance.
CONTRACT
“I think the paid Holidays were big and so was the fact that we formed a policy committee,” said MAFF Labor Relations Specialist Jim Steffes. “We have in the contract they’ll have a committee to discuss, revise and review department policies. Now they have some say in what’s going on and what changes are being made. Employees never had Holiday Pay. Now they have eight Holidays paid at time and one-half. They weren’t getting anything extra for working holidays. You’re asking a guy to leave this family on Christmas morning to go to a house fire or accident. You can at least give him a time and half wage for doing it. That was a big issue for them. We weren’t sure it was going to fly by the Township … but the Rep. from the Employer side was able to sell it to the Township Board. I have to give some credit to the other side. They went and argued it well and got the Board to approve it.”
Contract Duration: 3-year agreement ratified Dec. 14, 2021 and effective 1-1-22 to 12-31-24.
Wage Increases:
2.5% increase effective Jan. 1, 2022.
2.5% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
2.5% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
CONTRACT
“We clarified language that allows a firefighter to take Fire Officer I and II classes (and all pre-requisites) prior to a Sergeant's position being posted. The class will be paid for by the Employer. Once promoted to an Officer's position, the member will be reimbursed for the hours spent attending the class,” said MAFF Labor Relations Specialist Jim Steffes. “Firefighters participating in unpaid public relations and fire prevention events who missed a run will be paid for the run now. Firefighters who do 20 hours or more of Community Engagement events in a calendar year will receive a $200 bonus the first pay period in January. Fire Officers receive a $100 increase each year to their annual Officer salaries.”
"I'm thankful for collective bargaining. United we stand, divided we fall,” said Clark Barton IV, Augusta Township Paid-on-Call Firefighters Local Union President. “I'm thankful for MAFF and their Rep. Jim Steffes, who were very influential in helping this contract get ratified in a timely manner. I believe in being proactive instead of reactive. This contract made a leap forward for Local 911 to be proactive in helping its membership further their education. Having eligible members being offered Instructor I and Officer I and II courses is fantastic! I was also pleased to see an increase in the bonus for all three levels of run/training quotas."
Contract Duration: 3-year agreement ratified Sept. 28, 2021 and effective 4-1-21 to 3-31-24.
Wage Increases:
3% increase effective April 1, 2021.
3% increase effective April 1, 2022.
3% increase effective April 1, 2023.
CONTRACT
“They did really good,” said MAFF Labor Relations Specialist Joe O’Connor of Novi Paid-on-Call wage increases. “There’s always a rumor that their Paid-on-Call are going away. Paid-on-Call is part of that place and they’re just going to remain that way. Anybody hired before June of 2017 did not have a mandatory number of shifts to work. Anybody hired after that date had to work 10 shifts a quarter. We started phasing them in in steps. As long as they meet that, they get the bonus attached to their wage increases.”
Contract Duration: 6-year agreement, effective 7-1-20 to 6-30-26.
Wage Increases:
2% effective July 1, 2020.
2.5% effective July 1, 2021.
2.5% effective July 1, 2022.
2.5% effective July 1, 2023.
2.5% effective July 1, 2024.
3% effective July 1, 2025.
- Plus, a $400-$500 annual bonus in years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for each Employee who meets the following shift requirements.
- Each bonus is based on hours worked the previous year:
$400 payment for 937-1248 hours worked
$500 payment for 1249 or more hours worked
- Each bonus is based on hours worked the previous year: