A new agreement was announced Tuesday between the City of Buffalo and its firefighters. Common Council members approved the pact with the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association, Local 282 after rank and file members ratified it back in October.
The new contract is retroactive back to July 1, 2017 and runs through June 30, 2025. It gives members pay hikes averaging 3.3% and is expected to save the city $32 million. Among other items, the savings will be realized as the result of a generic prescription mandate for all new prescriptions and a reduction in sick time from nine hours per month to eight for each employee.
"This is a great deal and I thank everyone involved, from Mayor Byron Brown to the leadership of Local 282, for working together on a mutually beneficial agreement that is both fiscally sound and enhances the safety of firefighters, as well as the safety of Buffalo residents," said Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen.
Local 282 members will see their maximum base salary jump to $86,666 from $68,461 under a new 9-step salary schedule that will replace the current 13-step schedule.