Windsor Star

Fire service targets overtime costs

- TREVOR WILHELM twilhelm@windsorsta­r.com

Overtime costs for Windsor firefighte­rs have climbed to more than $500,000 so far this year, due in part to sick days and absenteeis­m.

Reducing those overtime costs will be one focus of fire and city officials as they grapple with an arbitrator-imposed pay raise for firefighte­rs.

“Whenever you have overtime that is as significan­t as it is, it is an issue,” said Mayor Eddie Francis.

“It’s the chief ’s role and job to ensure that he’s managing the schedule and he’s managing the budgets. Part of the review that is currently underway, some of the changes we’re looking to make to get ready for a 42-hour work week, we’ll address that overtime issue. It’s not going to be simply a propositio­n of hiring more people.”

After 8½ years without a contract, an arbitrator awarded Windsor firefighte­rs a 15.1 per cent wage increase last month.

The raise amounts to $12.77 million for the four-year period ending Dec. 31, 2014.

Firefighte­rs, who have been without a contract since the end of 2005, had previously been given $6.89 million for the period covering 2006 to 2009. In total, the nine-year deal adds just under $20 million to the fire department’s payroll while also reducing the work week for firefighte­rs from 48 hours to 42.

The recent ruling brings a firefighte­r’s base pay, starting Jan. 1, 2014, to $90,300.

Francis has vowed that taxpayers won’t be on the hook for the increased costs, which means the fire department has to come up with ways to absorb it.

“We’re looking at everything,” said fire department Chief Bruce Montone.

He conceded when the award was announced that it will require substantia­l changes in his department, where 96 per cent of this year’s $35-million budget goes toward salaries and benefits.

Francis said overtime, while it has declined, has been an issue for several years.

He said the recently reduced work week could exacerbate the issue if nothing else changes.

“That’s why the status quo won’t do,” he said. “Obviously I know some of the details of the plan, so I can say with certainty that the overtime issue will be something that is dealt with in the new plan.”

In 2011, overtime cost the department $763,000. In 2012 it cost $587,000. Overtime so far this year has come to $502,000. But that doesn’t include $381,000 the union was awarded through arbitratio­n in August for overtime that firefighte­rs never got to work because a truck was retired.

The firefighte­r union filed a grievance in 2009 because the city pulled a truck from service after pledging not to until contract negotiatio­ns were finished.

Montone said there are many sources of overtime costs. He said he must have at least 53 firefighte­rs on duty every day. If someone gets hurt and staffing levels fall below minimum requiremen­ts, they must be replaced.

Overtime also builds up when fire investigat­ors are called out after hours for fatal, suspicious or large loss fires.

“Every area within the department has normal business hours and extra hours, and lots of things drive overtime,” said Montone.

But a big source of overtime cost over the last several years has been sick days and absenteeis­m. When someone calls in sick, another firefighte­r must be called in to cover that 24hour shift.

But Montone said absenteeis­m has been declining since 2007.

That year, he said, the department’s absentee average was 10.224 sick days each year for every employee. The average in 2012 was 9.35, he said, adding it’s lower than the city’s overall average.

“We are always looking at our sick leave use and we are constantly monitoring it,” said Montone.

 ??  ?? Mayor Eddie Francis, left, and fire department Chief Bruce Montone discuss an arbitra
tion ruling last month that awarded firefighte­rs a 15.1 per
cent wage increase.
Mayor Eddie Francis, left, and fire department Chief Bruce Montone discuss an arbitra tion ruling last month that awarded firefighte­rs a 15.1 per cent wage increase.

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