Who Came Out Ahead?

By: Mr. Wilson on January 30, 2009

The Lincoln firefighters union has approved a 4% raise. Now the matter heads back to the City Council. The firefighters contract has been bouncing around for a few months now. What isn't clear is who is getting the best deal. Firefighters won't get the cost-of-living increases to their pensions that they sought, but they will get a much larger raise (assuming the Council says OK). According to the Journal Star the previous contract would have cost the City $325,000 (annually?). No comparable figure has so far been provided for the latest contract. I know plenty of Lincolnites would be happy to take home a 4% raise so we should expect a fair amount of grumbling. Is the grumbling justified?

Comments

See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.

Gene

January 30, 2009 at 3:00PM

“I know plenty of Lincolnites would be happy to take home a 4% raise so we should expect a fair amount of grumbling. Is the grumbling justified?”

Sure, when they climb inside a burning home to rescue someone they can grumble all they want.

Andrew

January 30, 2009 at 4:24PM

I agree. When your job is to risk your own health and well-being, then you can certainly grumble. In fact, if that’s the case I would support a 4% raise for you as well.

For those office jockeys among us, simmer down.

Mr. Wilson

January 30, 2009 at 4:33PM

If that’s the logic we’re using, shouldn’t firefighters’ pay go up by a whole lot more than 4%? Shouldn’t we be talking about $200k+ salaries? Likewise, shouldn’t firefighter pension funding skyrocket?

Gene

January 30, 2009 at 5:30PM

Can we not afford a 4% increase or do people just not want to give them a 4% increase? If it’s because we don’t want to give them a 4% increase, what are the reasons? Do they not earn their money? Is the service they provide not valued?

Gene

January 30, 2009 at 5:54PM

I guess my question is, can we afford a 4% increase? If the answer is no, then the discussion is over. If the answer is yes or maybe, then I’d ask why the priority isn’t people like the firefighters or police officers. A lot of people in Lincoln have a Jon Camp-ish resentment of the Lincoln FD that I don’t understand.

Neal

January 30, 2009 at 8:45PM

According to the Journal Star the previous contract would have cost the City $325,000 (annually?). No comparable figure has so far been provided for the latest contract.

The story did say the $325,000 was equivalent to a 1.7 percent raise. By that ratio, the 4 percent increase will cost the city $765,000.

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