COUNTYWIDE : Supervisors OK Firefighters’ Pact

Ventura County Supervisors approved a 2 1/2-year contract for county firefighters Tuesday, capping six months of sometimes acrimonious negotiations.

The 29-month contract, which is retroactive to February, awards the county’s 370 firefighters a 3% raise in July. In July, 1993, firefighters who have been at the top step of their pay scales for one year will receive a 4% raise. The following January, all firefighters will receive another 3% raise.

The 340 firefighters who are trained to use heart defibrillators will receive an additional $1,507 per year.

The Ventura County Professional Firefighters Assn. agreed to the contract with the county last month, clearing the way for Tuesday’s board approval. The supervisors are scheduled to hold a final public hearing and vote Tuesday, but that vote is considered a formality. “I think it’s a pretty good deal for both sides,” said Ed McLean, the county’s chief negotiator.

The contract was the second approved of four that are up for renewal this year, McLean said. In January, the county approved a similar wage increase for 3,200 of the 4,200 employees represented by the Public Employees Assn. of Ventura County.

McLean said the county will begin negotiations with 580 sheriff’s deputies whose contract expires in July. The county is also preparing for negotiations with 180 skilled trades people, such as heavy equipment operators and plumbers. Their contract expires in August, McLean said.