Council Expected to OK Contract for Firefighters

After 17 months of negotiations, Downey is expected to approve a new contract for its firefighters.

A tentative agreement with a 4% raise retroactive to July 1, 1996, and 2% increases in the subsequent two years is expected to be approved by the City Council next Tuesday, Assistant City Manager Lee Powell said.

“The city saw a benefit to having a three-year contract and therefore was willing to grant the higher increase in the first year,” Powell said.

The firefighters, who have been working without a contract for 15 months, have expressed interest in merging with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which pays higher salaries. But because Downey’s charter calls for a city fire department, a public vote would be required for such a change.

Under the new contract, their salaries remain lower than county firefighters’.