Henderson’s proposed agreement with firefighters a give and take
The first new two-year collective bargaining agreement with the Henderson Fire Department in six years is a give and take with the city.
Fred Horvath, assistant city manager overseeing human resource issues, said the city is pleased with the results.
“The general feeling is it was a very balanced approach by the firefighters recognizing where we’re at in this recovery,” said Horvath, adding this is the first of six ongoing union negotiations at the city.
The City Council is scheduled to potentially approve the contract at Tuesday’s meeting. The contract covers 205 Henderson firefighters and paramedics. The remaining 20 department management and support staff are nonunion.
The city and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1883 last negotiated a new contract in 2008, extending that contract with concessions in 2010 and 2012. Horvath said the city wanted some “structural changes” to help both sides get through the continued economic downturn.
Dan Pentkowski, president of the Henderson Professional Fire Fighters union, said the group’s concessions have allowed the department to operate through the economic downturn without laying off firefighters or closing firehouses.
“This isn’t new to us, doing good work (with Henderson),” Pentkowski said. “This is a very fair contract on both sides … we were able to reach consensus on a good business contract based on our current economic reality.”
The city has a $5 million operating budget shortfall for the year ending June 30, and pulled another $4.6 million from the city’s vehicle purchasing and maintenance fund to balance the fiscal year 2015 budget.
One of the biggest changes for the department is a lower pay rate for new firefighters, with more steps added before they can top out pay in their career. A newly hired firefighter will start at $16.71, a 10 percent decrease from the current starting pay, with 12 steps on the pay scale instead of nine. A firefighter/paramedic will start at $18.94 per hour, also a 10 percent decrease.
The 12th step will be added to the end of the pay scale starting July 1, 2015, impacting 115 current employees with a salary, overtime and benefits expense of $1.01 million. About 60 percent of union members will benefit immediately next July, Pentkowski said.
The new steps will save about $1.9 million for the 15 recruits anticipated for February over the 12 years they progress through the wage schedule.
Union firefighters will still see a net compensation increase of 1.11 percent, or $335,451, in fiscal year 2015, which ends June 30, 2015. Fiscal year 2016 will bring a 2.23 percent increase, or $684,637. The increases are tied to non-salary benefits, and do not include any scheduled base wage increases. The department’s current salary, retirement and overtime expense is $30.3 million.
The firefighters agreed to a one-time lump-sum payment equal to 2 percent of total pay at a cost of $450,000. However, the pay will not be associated with overtime or the Public Employees’ Retirement System expense. The union has not received cost-of-living increases since 2009.
The parties agreed to changes in sick leave that will decrease the city’s long-term obligation at retirement or termination ($563,353 savings through 2016), and reduced vacation hours by 12 ($212,690 savings).
Pentkowski said department concessions will grow with the agreement to split any increased PERS expense expected to be announced by the state in November. The move will save the city $72,175 annually on a 2 percent increase to the state’s retirement plan.
Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3882. Follow him on Twitter: @KnightlyGrind
The city of Henderson has been the first community in Southern Nevada named a HeartSafe Community for its response times and survival rates in cardiac events, Nevada Project Heartbeat announced last week.
Nevada Project Heartbeat will present the city with HeartSafe Community street signs at the City Council meeting Tuesday.
Henderson Fire Department paramedics achieved a 50 percent survival rate in instances of cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, with 29 percent of those patients going home neurologically intact, according to the city. Nationally, the survival rate for this type of cardiac arrest is 21 percent.
Henderson puts the American Heart Association’s "Chain of Survival" in place, thereby increasing the chances of someone surviving a cardiovascular emergency. To attain the HeartSafe Community designation, the city had to demonstrate how programs implemented over the last decade have significantly improved response and care for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The Henderson Fire Department submitted an application for the HeartSafe Community designation and accumulated points, or "heartbeats," in 26 categories.
The city scored high marks in the following areas:
• Emergency 9-1-1 operators provide instructions to callers about caring for a cardiac arrest victim, providing a zero-minute response time for medical care.
• Henderson Police officers receive CPR training and all patrol vehicles are equipped with Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs)
• Public-access defibrillation program maintains AEDs at all city facilities and at multiple businesses throughout the community.
• AED loan program for use at sporting events and public gatherings at no cost.
• Community CPR training offered to residents, schools, physicians’ offices and community groups.
• STEMI alert system provides pre-hospital assessment and triage of patients, decreasing the time needed to diagnose and treat victims of cardiac arrest.
• Early 12-lead electrocardiogram monitoring transmits data to a hospital so that doctors can formulate a treatment plan before the patient’s arrival.
• Advanced life-saving enhancements such as induced hypothermia and cardio-cerebral resuscitation protocols.
