Detroit officials and firefighters' union ink deal for wage hike

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Friday morning a 4 percent raise across the board for all firefighters certified to perform medical first reponder work. As part of the contract, the fire department will offer emergency medical training to firefighters who are not certified.

This 4 percent increase is in addition to 2 and a half percent increases already negotiated for 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as a 3 percent raise in 2019.

“This doesn’t get the Detroit firefighters on par with the surrounding communities, but it’s a significant step closer, and as the city continues to recover economically we are going to continue to share that progress,” Duggan said.

“I want it to be perfectly clear that this contract was not due to be reopened until 2019, so we want to personally thank Mayor Duggan for opening it because he recognizes the sacrifice and additional work the firefighters have done thus far,” sais Fire Commissioner Eric Jones. 

Mike Nevin, the President of the Detroit Firefighter’s Association, says the fire department is being turned around.

“The men and woman out there are doing it; they’re getting the job done. No question. This little bump here is what we needed psychologically and emotionally because we were gutted after the bankruptcy,” he said. “So much was taken out of our pockets that left us emotionally and physically drained.”