McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

July 1, 2008

Firefighters get raise by thin margin

By James Beaty

It passed by the narrowest of margins with only five members of the city council present — but city councilors ultimately approved a 6 percent raise for members of the McAlester Fire Department on Monday night.

The proposal passed by a 3-2 vote after the council reconvened in open session following a meeting held behind closed doors at City Hall.

It’s for the 2007-2008 fiscal year which ended at midnight on Monday.

Voting in support of the raise were outgoing Mayor Don Lewis, Ward 4 Councilor Haven Wilkinson and Ward 5 Councilor Buddy Garvin.

Casting “no” votes were outgoing Ward 1 Councilor Weldon Smith and Ward 6 Councilor Sam Mason.

Ward 2 Councilor Donnie Condit and outgoing Ward 3 Councilor Travis Read did not attend the meeting.

Councilors also passed an amendment by Garvin directing City Manager Mark Roath to make an adjustment to the city’s budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year reflecting the pay increase.

The impasse had been over the 1 percent difference between the 5 percent raise offered by the city and the 6 percent raise sought by the firefighters’ union.

Lewis said the difference between the 5 and 6 percent amounted to a total of $19,136. The city had already budgeted approximately $100,000 which would have covered the 5 percent raise that had been offered by the city.

The city had originally offered the firefighters a 5 percent raise, but the members of Local No. 2284 of the International Association of Firefighters held out for 6 percent increase after learning that’s what the police department had received.

A three-member arbitration committee assigned to help resolve the differences had rendered a decision in favor of the firefighters.

One of the options the council had on the agenda for consideration during Monday night’s meeting had been rejecting the firefighters’ offer and then taking the issue to a vote of the people.

That became a moot point after the 3-2 decision to accept the firefighters’ offer and the arbitrators’ decision.

Afterwards, Mark Parker, president of Local No, 2284, said he thought the decision was a good one.

“There’s no reason to go and waste more money,” he said, referring to the city’s costs for attorneys and negotiators.

Before the council voted Monday night, Ward 1 Councilor Smith had read a statement form an attorney Michael Vanderburg, criticizing the arbitrators’ decision. Vanderburg contended the city had already made an agreement with the firefighters for a 5 percent raise, before the union changed its mind and sought the 6 percent increase.

Another McAlester firefighter, Rick Beams, is state president of the Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma and negotiated on behalf of the firefighters’ union.

While he said there had been a previous tentative agreement between the firefighters and the city for the 5 percent raise offered by the city, he said it had never been ratified by the union

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

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