10-23-17 Personnel and Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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Committeemember Voorde made a motion to send Substitute Bill No. 62-17 to the full Council with a favorable recommendation. Committeemember Broden seconded this motion which carried unanimously by a voice vote of three (3) ayes. Bill No. 65-17- Fixing Maximum Annual Pay and Fringe Benefits for SBFD for 2018-2021 Stephanie Steele, Corporation Counsel for the City of South Bend with offices on the 12th floor of the County-City Building, stated, We are here to present an ordinance for the salaries of sworn members of the South Bend Fire Department. We have come to a four(4) year agreement which we are very excited about. The first year consists of a two point two-five percent(2.25%) increase and then two percent(2%) for the years following. In the agreement there were also a few changes for some of the incentive pays. We've had a very interesting process in coming to the four(4) year agreement with continuing communication between the Union and the City. There is a section for longevity pay for ambulance lead paramedics. Steve Cox, Fire Chief of the South Bend Fire Department located at 1222 S. Michigan Street, stated, This was an agreement with members of leadership from a number entities and with multiple meetings. We are excited about this agreement and are happy with how it turned out. Ryan Takacs, Vice President of Local 362 South Bend Firefighters Association located at 4025 Lincolnway West, stated, It was a good process. We came to an agreement after some long and hard talks. Our body voted 171 in favor to 36 against, and that puts us at about eighty-three percent (83%)which is a bit higher than last time. Councilmember Broden asked, Could you share some of the comments that accompanied the no votes? Mr. Takacs replied, You're not going to make everybody happy. We do the best we can to negotiate for the full membership we have. We have a very diverse group of people in the membership that need to have all their priorities balanced. We couldn't hit everything at once. They happen every time and this is nothing new. Committeemember Voorde stated, The key to successful contract negotiation is when both sides listen. We went in listening to the lists of wants and needs. Stephanie was willing to step back and accommodate important things to the Fire Department, but the Firefighters were willing to understand the parameters and constraints the City has. Council Attorney Bob Palmer stated, What impressed me most was the open and the trusting environment. There was a genuine respect amongst all the parties. Committee Chair White opened the floor to members of the public wishing to speak in favor of or in opposition to the legislation. There were none. She then turned the floor back to the Committee for further comment or main motions. Committeemember Voorde made a motion to accept the substitute version of Bill No. 65-17. Committeemember Williams-Preston seconded the motion which carried unanimously by three 10