NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The city’s fire officers and municipal workers will be getting raises, according to ordinances and resolutions approved by the City Council at their January 20 meeting.
“We have negotiated some considerably significant givebacks in the health and welfar area, paritcuarly the prescription plan has been reconfigured,” said Business Administrator Thomas Loughlin.
One four-year agreement covers most of the workers in City Hall, while a separate but similar six-year deal covers New Brunswick’s fire lieutenants, deputy chiefs, and captains.
Loughlin also said the deal includes “meals during emergencies for certain employees.”
“We’ve increased the automobile reimbursement for housing inspectors, and for fire inspectors, we’re giving them some on-call pay for the first time,” said Loughlin.
Based on annual raises included in the deals, the contracts are on par with the recent police union contract extension approved in 2015:
| Year |
MEA #108 |
FMBA #217 |
PBA #23/ #23A |
| 2015 | 1.5%* | 1.5%* | 1.5% |
| 2016 | 2% | 2% | 1.5% |
| 2017 | 2% | 1.5% | 2% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | 2% | 1.5% |
| 2019 | – | 2% | 2% |
| 2020 | – | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 2021 | – | 2% | 2% |
*retroactive to July 1, 2015
Under the deals, NBFD Deputy Chiefs will make $153,854 salaries in 2021, while Captains will make $136,291, and Lieutenants will make $120,007.
Assuming both deals are approved by City Council on February 3, this leaves only the city’s firefighters union, the FMBA #17, without a contract.
“The contract for firefighters expired on 12/31/14 and remains expired and under negotiations,” said city spokeswoman Jennifer Bradshaw.
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
