COLUMBUS, Ohio — Firefighters with the Columbus Division of Fire will receive a nearly 18% raise between now and October 2025 as part of a new three-year contract.
The contract will allow city firefighters to receive retroactive pay, in the amount of a 7.5% increase, dating back to their Nov. 1, 2023 pay period. The second pay raise would be 5% at the start of Nov. 1, 2024, and a 5% increase starting Nov. 1, 2025.
A spokesperson with Columbus City Council said the contract will go into effect on Wednesday.
The 17.5% pay raise will cost the city $103 million over the next three years.
The year-by-year breakdown is as follows:
- Year 1 - $20,018,473
- Year 2 - $33,866,156
- Year 3 - $49,389,855
"It's one of the largest pay increases we've received in the last couple decades,” said Steven Stein President of Columbus Firefighters Local 167.
The fire department is the largest in the state.
According to the city, 1,712 members will get the pay raise. Stein said the top salary for firefighters is $97,000, while roughly 500 earn between $60,000 to $70,000.
Rather than a voice vote, the Columbus City Council decided to debate the merits of the raise behind closed doors.
Council members decided not to take action on the contract Monday night. Council President Shannon Hardin briefly addressed the decision during the city council meeting.
“While this proposal is costly, our firefighters deserve raises and I hope this agreement not only motivates them, but also encourages the entire division to work closely with public safety, the administration and council to enact the needed modernizations and reforms to our staffing model,” he said.
In a statement to 10TV, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said while he welcomed the raises, he wanted more in terms of reforms.
“Our goals for this contract were to make sure our firefighters were well compensated for their service, modernize our deployment system and implement a nurse triage program to protect our high quality of fire and EMS response for our residents as we continue to grow as a city," Ginther said. "The Fact Finder’s recommendation will cost $103 million to implement over the next three years without making the changes and reforms we need to stabilize and sustain services in the future. Those changes will be our top priority in the next round of negotiations.”
The raises take effect in 30 days and follow raises to the city’s police department earlier in the year that totaled $80 million.
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