Fulton City Council sets timeline for new Fulton Professional Firefighters Union contract

Council gives readings to resolutions, approves gasoline price at Elton Hensley Memorial Airport

The Fulton Professional Firefighters Union and the city of Fulton will continue working on the finalization of a new contract for the union. The Fulton City Council voted to give the negotiations a 60-day timeline before rules for firefighters will default to the updated city employee manual.
The Fulton Professional Firefighters Union and the city of Fulton will continue working on the finalization of a new contract for the union. The Fulton City Council voted to give the negotiations a 60-day timeline before rules for firefighters will default to the updated city employee manual.

After the Fulton City Council meeting Tuesday night, the Fulton Professional Firefighters Union and the city of Fulton have a time frame to finalize the union's contract.

Negotiations between the two entities started in early December after the union approached the city with a new contract, which outlined union's desires - including increased pay. Entry-level firefighters start out at the minimum hourly rate of $8.65, and firefighters at that same level can earn up to $12.85, according to the current contract that was approved in 2004. The fire union asked for a 10 percent pay increase in December, originally rejecting the five percent pay increase the city offered for all of its employees included in the 2015 budget. The city denied the union's request, and firefighters later accepted the five percent pay bump.

The council approved Tuesday to issue a 60-day notice for the finalization of a new contract - which must be voted on by the council - or the current contract will be terminated. Also at its meeting, the council created a safety net in case the city and union do not come to an agreement within 60 days and approved an update to the city's personnel manual to include the fire department. The council can still give the OK to a new contract after a 60-day period, which City Administrator Bill Johnson said will likely start within the next few days.

Those updates to the manual outline some of the most significant aspects of the current contract. The manual inclusions state that the union is the exclusive bargaining representative for Fulton firefighters and engineers; all members ranking under the tile of captain are eligible members of the union; and fire department employees must reside within five miles of Fulton city limits. It also details the work cycle, assigned Kelly days - which keep firefighters within a certain amount of work hours - taken once every scheduled seven shifts and rate of pay, which is as listed below:

•Probationary firefighter: $8.20 minimum hourly rate; $12.30 hourly maximum rate

•Firefighter: $8.65 minimum hourly rate; $12.85 maximum hourly rate

•Probationary fire engineer: $8.98 minimum hourly rate; $14.38 maximum hourly rate

•Engineer: $9.55 minimum hourly rate; $14.50 maximum hourly rate

Johnson said, after attending a conference session regarding city-union negotiations, he learned that one way to speed up negotiations is to establish a notice to terminate the current contract. City representatives - Johnson, Assistant City Administrator Jerry Sorte, Fire Chief Dean Buffington and Human Resources Director Michelle Maupin - and fire union representatives - engineers Merit McLeod and Todd Gray - have met twice a month for six months, with the exception of two canceled meetings.

Johnson said he recently took himself out of negotiations because he didn't want to be perceived as the decision maker for the new contract when, in fact, the council will make the final decision. He was not at their last meeting on May 14 when fire union representatives were told about the 60-day notice. At that meeting, Maupin said the collaboration between the two groups was more productive than ever before.

As negotiations continue, Maupin is creating a salary survey, comparing Fulton Fire pay, stipulations for raises, overtime pay, benefits and more to those of fire departments across Missouri.

In other news, the council approved the first reading of Bill 1423, which will charge $100 fee for the third consecutive health inspection to any restaurant, kitchen, cafeteria or any other food-producing company. The council also gave a second reading to Bill 1422, which will change the name of Ash Drive to Wilds Lane, reflecting the last name of the only homeowners on the street.

Council members also voted to charge $4.74 per gallon at the Elton Hensley Memorial Airport, matching the price at the Jefferson City airport. The tank currently is holding about $5,000 gallons, which the council approved to sell about 3,000 gallons of before purchasing any more fuel. The city purchased that gas at $4.56 per gallon, so it will still see a six percent profit, City Engineer Greg Hayes said.