Enhancing pay, benefits, and training and education incentives for Firefighters Local 76

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne on behalf of the City of Somerville has reached an agreement with Local 76, the union representing Somerville firefighters, for a contract that will provide updated compensation and benefits and help modernize aspects of the Department’s operations.  The new contract provides competitive annual wage increases, expanded opportunities for incentive pay tied to specialty positions, advanced education, and training, and a new sick leave benefit.  

The Mayor and Local 76 leaders signed the new three-year contract on Wednesday, October 9. The contract will cover the City’s 2024 fiscal year (FY24: July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024), as well as FY2025 and FY2026.  

“Our firefighters stand at the ready 24/7 to protect the safety of our community, willing and ready to run toward danger rather than away from it to keep every one of us safe. We owe them not just gratitude for taking on this awesome responsibility but also the fair wages and benefits they deserve,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “This new contract reflects our commitment to providing competitive compensation and benefits to our firefighters while ensuring they have the resources and support they need to do their jobs effectively.” 

“Local 76 is pleased to have come to an agreement through the collective bargaining process,” Union President Mike Jefferson added. 

Key features of the new contract include: 

• Competitive annual wage increases: Firefighters will receive a 9% cost of living increase (COLA) over the life of the contract (equaling a 3% cost of living increase each year of the contract retroactive to July 1, 2023). 

• Expanded education incentives: The contract seeks to keep pace with the increasing cost of higher education and reward firefighters for continuing their education via increased tuition reimbursement funding and increases to base pay for those with advanced degrees. 

• Increased training incentives: Firefighters who take on additional training and certifications will be rewarded for doing so with higher stipends for specialty positions and training, which allows the City and the Department to keep pace with modern firefighting techniques and respond to emergencies in the larger, more complex buildings being developed throughout the City. 

• New specialty positions to meet evolving city needs: The contract establishes new stipends for a Dedicated Infection Control Officer (DICO) and an Assistant DICO, positions needed in a post-pandemic environment.   

• More dynamic, skills-based assessment for leadership positions: The contract provides for the City’s integration of assessment centers, a skills-based assessment process utilized in unison with a civil service promotional examination, when selecting candidates for District Chief and Deputy Chief positions. 

Local 76’s membership has voted to ratify the new contract, and the union leadership and Mayor have signed the contract, leaving only the City Council to fund the cost of the contract before it takes effect. 

The City of Somerville has recently reached union agreements with three other unions including unions representing the City’s Crossing Guards, Fire Alarm, and Emergency Telecommunications/Police Dispatchers.  

-City of Somerville