Oxnard Council OKs Contract With Firefighters : Labor: The agreement calls for a 3.5% pay increase. But union representatives call it unfair.

Over the union’s objections, the Oxnard City Council has adopted a contract with the Oxnard Firefighters Assn., effectively ending a 16-month impasse in negotiations between the city’s staff and its firefighters.

Members of Oxnard’s firefighters union packed a City Council meeting Tuesday night in an attempt to dissuade the council from approving what the union says is an unfair contract.

The new pact, retroactive to July, 1992, calls for a 3.5% pay increase for the 68 firefighters in Oxnard. But union officials say the increase is unfair in light of a bigger increase recently awarded the city employees union.

The city argued that while employees who stay on the job for more than four years will have a chance for a 5% raise, the average increase for city employees would not exceed 3.5%.

Individual employees, the city contended, would get the 5% increase if they perform well and work with the city for more than four years.

Also, the city argued that firefighters have a higher average salary, so the average firefighter would receive twice the amount of money an average city employee would receive.

Representatives of the firefighters union, however, said the discrepancy, in effect, punishes firefighters who stay on the job more than four years by not offering them the 5% increase.

“We’re asking for what’s fair,” said Bill Gallaher, president of the Oxnard Firefighters Assn. “We felt we were real close and all we were arguing over was peanuts, but the city painted it like we were real greedy. We’re not asking for anything more than what they’re giving the city employees.”

City staff members said the average firefighter would receive an increase of about $2,250 yearly with the pay raise, while the average city employee would receive $1,162.

“I don’t see how $2,250 could be considered punishment,” Councilman Michael Plisky said. “It’s nothing to sneeze at. The city is having financial problems and we’re having to make budget cuts.”

City officials have said that six firefighters could be laid off in January, when the Fire Department must cut $187,000 from its budget. Other budget-cutting plans include merging the Fire Department with the Oxnard Police Department, an idea that angers firefighters.

With those possibilities hanging over their heads, Gallaher said firefighters expected another long negotiation period with the city when the current contract expires in July.

“It’s going to be a problem when we go back to the table to negotiate in May,” Gallaher said.