North Royalton City Council has unanimously adopted legislation to authorize the Mayor to enter into a contract with the city’s firefighter’s union, the International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO Local 2156. The ordinance also accepts the fact-finding report of a neutral party, which led to the contract.
Last February, City Council approved all of the City’s union contracts for 2021, except for the Firefighter’s Union. The unions represented in the City include the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #15 (Patrol, Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #15 (Sergeants), Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #15 (Corrections), Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #15 (Clerical/Animal Control), International Association of Fire Fighters AFL-CIO, Local 2156 and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Ohio Council 8, Local 3410 (AFSME). All of the City’s union contracts expired on December 31, 2020. In addition, they also approved ordinances following suit, for the following: Police and Fire Chiefs, Police Captain, Assistant Fire Chief, Police Lieutenant and any non-union full time city employee. Those agreements extended the then-current contract with the unions for one year, rather than a three-year contract that has been typically negotiated. The last contract agreement, which went into effect for 2018, included a wage increase of 2.5 percent in 2018 and 2 percent in both 2019 and 2020.
The 2021 agreement states that effective the first full pay period in July 2021, all employee will receive a salary increase of 1.25%. In addition, “a lump sum amount of $1,000 as a bonus shall not be computed in any overtime compensation calculation. The lump sum bonus shall be paid by February 26, 2021, to all eligible employees. All active part-time non-union employees who worked 24 or more hours per week in 2020 shall receive a $500 lump sum bonus. Active part-time non-union employees who worked between 15-23 hours per week in 2020 shall receive a $250 lump sum bonus. Active part-time non-union employees who worked less than 15 hours per week in 2020 shall receive a $100 lump sum bonus.” North Royalton Finance Director Eric Dean estimated the total of the bonus and raises equated to an average of a 2% raise.
The ordinance for the firefighter’s contract, passed at the June 1 meeting, noted that after conducting negotiations with the union, the parties engaged in fact finding with a neutral party, who then issued a report. After reviewing the proposal, Council and the Administration decided to ratify and adopt the report and enter into an agreement, based on the terms and conditions in the report.
The three-year contract will be retroactive to January 1, 2021. Effective in 2021, all full-time employees shall receive a one-time lump sum bonus payment of $1000 payable in the first pay period following ratification of the agreement. All base wage rates will increase by 1.25% effective the first full pay period of July 2021; Effective January 1, 2022 all base wage rates shall increase 2.75%; Effective January 1, 2023 all base wage rates shall increase 3.0%.
The employees’ monthly contribution for family or individual coverage shall remain at the following rates for 2021: Family: $220, Individual: $83. The rates for 2022 will be Family: $230, Individual: $88. The rates for 2023 will be Family: $240, Individual: $93. The Employer’s medical exposure shall remain as follows for 2021: Family Plan: $800, Individual Plan: $500. For 2022, Family Plan: $1,300, Individual Plan: $800. For 2023, Family Plan: $1,400, Individual Plan: $850.
“Ultimately, when you look at the whole package, everything turned out fine,” said Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz. “They are just getting a little more than 2.1% a year, which I found was very reasonable. I think it worked out to be a fair deal. Their out-of-pocket goes up and their premiums are going up. When you look at the health care going up, I think it looks like a fair deal.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer