9963-09 Fixing the annual pay and monetary fringe benefits of firefighters of the Fire Department for 2010

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Ordinance No. ~ ~ ~ 3 '~ 1 Bill No. 71-09 AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA FIXING THE ANNUAL PAY AND MONETARY FRINGE BENEFITS OF FIREFIGHTERS OF THE SOUTH BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2010 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT Pursuant to Indiana Code § 36-8-3-3, ¶ (d), the South Bend Common Council, as the legislative body of a second class city is charged with establishing before September 30th the annual compensation of all members of the South Bend Fire Department. On June 8, 2009, the South Bend Common Council adopted Resolution No. 3973 -09 which appointed anagent/negotiator for the labor negotiations with the Fire Negotiating Team representing the South Bend Firefighters' Association Local No. 362 of the International Association of Firefighters AFL-CIO. For the past several weeks the City's Advisory Fire Negotiating Team, whose membership included 4`~' District Council Member and Health Public Safety Vice-Chairperson Ann Puzzello, 2nd District Council Member Henry Davis, Jr., City Attorney and Board of Public Safety Agent Charles Leone, Assistant Fire Chief James Lopez, and the Council's AgentlNegotiator Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand has been meeting with the Fire Negotiating Team which consists of Ken Marks, IAFF Local 362 President; Todd Skwarcan, IAFF Loca1362 Vice-President; James Weinberg, Chris Baker, Gerard Ellis, and Thomas "Chip" Lewis III, Spokesperson. The City's Advisory Negotiating Team and the Fire Negotiating Team reached a tentative agreement on Thursday, September 24, 2009, regarding a 1-year salary and monetary fringe package for the 2010 calendar year which includes the first phase of rank re-structuring. The tentative agreement includes the implementation of the first phase of rank re-structuring whereby the current "Firefighter" will be renamed "Third Class Firefighter" and a new "Second Class Firefighter", with both of these new titles being created as part of the salary classification listing. Firefighters hired prior to January 1, 2010, will be grandfathered. Effective in 2011, the City of South Bend will make its best efforts to eliminate the Engineer rank, with this being the second phase of the rank re-structuring concept. The negotiating teams were committed to the principles of interest-based bargaining which were used throughout the negotiating process. The salary and monetary fringe benefits set forth in this ordinance are in keeping with the goals and objectives established by the South Bend Common Council, the City Administration and the Fire Administration. The negotiating team further agreed to address the following interests during next year's labor negotiations: the second phase of the rank re- structuring and the salary compression issues involving Captains including those non-rank positions currently paid at the Captain amount. This ordinance is believed to be in the best interests of the South Bend Fire Department and the best interests of the City of South Bend, Indiana.