Council OKs deal with fire fighters

By Medicine Hat News on August 4, 2022.

Medicine Hat city council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to ratify a new collective agreement with the Medicine Hat Fire Fighters Association.

The decision comes more than three years after the previous contract’s expiry on Dec. 31, 2018. Retroactive to the date of Jan. 1, 2019, the new agreement will remain in-effect until Dec. 31 of this year.

While terms of the new agreement remain largely unchanged from those of previous, three mediator recommendations were adopted.

The first recommendation introduces unspecified changes to the Fire Service Promotional Policy, affecting three senior officer positions; platoon chief, chief fire marshal and chief training officer.

The second modifies the service’s existing pay scale to provide employees of 15 years with a wage increase equal to 1 per cent of their annual salary, employees of 20 years with 1.5 per cent increase and employees of 25 year with 2 per cent increase.

The third results in a general wage increases of 1 per cent retroactive of the 2019 calendar year, 1.5 per cent retroactive of 2020, 2.5 per cent retroactive of 2021 and 2.5 per cent for 2022.

Speaking on behalf of the Medicine Hat Fire Fighters Association, Steve Thompson, IAFF Local 263 president, said association members are “pleased to have negotiated (an) agreement which both sides can be proud of.”

“We look forward to continuing to serve our community and it’s citizens when they need us most,” he said.