Disappointment is the reaction from mayor Don Darling to the arbitration decision on the contract dispute between the city and the firefighters’ union.
In a release from the city, Darling says that they value the firefighters and the work that they do but they just can’t afford the high wage settlements awarded through the province’s arbitration process.
The new five-year contract includes annual wage increases of about 3-percent. Darling says it’s the city’s view that the arbitration system for protective services in the province are not sustainable.
Darling also points out the Board was unanimous in concluding the evidence filed during the arbitration hearing confirms the city’s poor financial status as an “economic reality.”
City staff is going to review the decision and report back to council in January.
