Firefighters skip pay raises

CITY CENTER — After sustaining more than $1 million in budget cuts, Burbank firefighters have agreed to forgo pay raises for the coming year.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 4 to 0 to approve the agreement with the Burbank Fire Fighters Local 778 and Burbank Fire Fighters Chief Officers Unit for fiscal year 2009-10 after Councilman David Gordon recused himself.

City officials could not estimate how much money the move would save Burbank because the unions notified executives of their intent before cost-of-living figures could be crunched. Still, the City Council lauded firefighters for pro-actively addressing the ongoing effects of the recession and state budget troubles on the city.

The draft agreement “represents the firefighters really stepping up, recognizing the budget challenges that the state has, that we have at the city, and really being a partner,” Councilman Dave Golonski said. “We see time and time again in cities that are struggling that they’re still battling with people about that.”

In Los Angeles, for example, the firefighters union has been locked in bitter contract negotiations with the city, which scaled back operations at fire stations in the face of a yawning budget deficit.

“Firefighters [here] early on in the process stepped up and said ‘we recognized that it’s tough times,’ and they put their foot in to be part of the solution,” Golonski said.

The Burbank firefighters’ contract also includes an agreement to create a joint labor management committee to explore a two-day on, four-day off work schedule.

Early this year, fire Capt. Lew Stone, president of the firefighters union, met with City Manager Mike Flad and city executives to discuss state and city budget uncertainties.

“I said, ‘We’re going to take a zero, and that’s one more number you can plug in to balance the budget,’” Stone said. “I’m in my 25th year and I’ve seen these cycles many times. You want to balance what’s best based on what the revenues are.”

After official negotiations began in April, city executives met with firefighters eight times, presenting an initial proposal in May and reaching a tentative agreement in July.

“Throughout the process they were stepping forward and were very willing to work with us,” said Councilman Jess Talamantes, a retired fire captain who spent 32 years in the department.

Firefighters unanimously ratified the agreement July 21, while the chief officers union came to an agreement last month, according to city documents.

Despite the $1.27 million in budget cuts this year, the Fire Department reinstated Engine 14, which had been taken out of operation July 1 to save $563,828.

But staffing numbers were reduced, and the level of service to the community will not be the same until the department emerges from tough economic times at full manpower, Stone said.