The City of Columbus and the union representing its more than 15 hundred firefighters are expected to meet with a fact-finder this week on a new collective-bargaining agreement.
More than 66 percent of members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67 recently rejected a three-year agreement that would have raised their pay by 3.5 percent in the first two years and 3 percent in the third. Members said a 12 percent increase in health insurance costs and pay differences for paramedics were the reasons for rejecting the deal. The agreement was reached after several months worth of negotiations. If the fact-finder is not able to broker an agreement, the two sides will go to arbitration.