Nanaimo Firefighters Agree To 5.5% Wage Hike

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City of Nanaimo and IAFF 
Reach Collective Agreement Settlement

The City of Nanaimo is pleased to announce that a settlement has been reached with the International Association of Firefighters Local 905 (“IAFF”) for a new collective agreement. The previous collective agreement expired on March 31, 2010 and the parties have been in negotiations since proposals were first exchanged in June 2010.

The deal consists of a 21-month term spanning from April 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012, a 5.5% wage settlement over the term that maintains historical parity with the City of Vancouver, and a package providing IAFF members with an improved pension benefit and an increase to the 10th year firefighter rate in exchange for language for the employer that increases scheduling flexibility and reduces costs in the areas of benefits, overtime, and wages for new recruits.

This was a difficult round of collective bargaining that was finalized only after mediation talks had failed and dates had been scheduled to resolve the agreement through interest arbitration. The parties each ratified the settlement yesterday.

“I am pleased that a settlement has been reached on this critical agreement between the City of Nanaimo and the IAFF” said Nanaimo City Mayor, John Ruttan. “Bargaining is often a challenging process; I would like to acknowledge all parties for their time and commitment to successfully concluding these important discussions”.