TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police had their new union contract approved last city council meeting and now Toledo Fire is hoping to do the same come tomorrow.
Toledo firefighters are used to overtime, so there are two clear goals with the department's new proposed contract.
"Getting people to sign up and getting people to stay is what this benefit package is about," President of Toledo Firefighters Local 92 Dan Desmond said.
A new fire class graduates this Friday and could be an indicator of whether increased wages and benefits keep them around longer; something the city has struggled with before.
"The suburbs might offer a little bit better benefit package, so you get trained as a Toledo firefighter and then you just leave," Desmond explained.
This new contract before city council Tuesday allows for a 4% wage increase each year for the next three years, an average of 47 hours for a workweek and two additional days off per year.
There are also multiple one-time payments, including $1,000 for union members during contract negotiations, $2,500 because of management rule changes in the contract and a one-time, $3,500 payment for firefighters who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's a good signal when their employer is saying 'we appreciate what you've done, this is what we're going to give you because you had to live through this pandemic and you're going to have to continue living through because it's not over yet,'" Desmond said.