(Inter-Township Fire Facebook Image)
A new collective bargaining agreement between Inter-Township Fire Department volunteer firefighters, Georgian Bluffs and Meaford has been made official.
Georgian Bluffs council approved the new three-year contract with UFCW Local 175 and 633 at Wednesday’s meeting. The agreement had already been ratified by Inter-Township volunteer firefighters and authorized by Meaford council.
The previous CBA between the municipalities and Inter-Township firefighters expired on June 30. The new agreement will remain in place until June 30, 2023, according to a Georgian Bluffs staff report.
The new CBA includes a two per cent annual wage increase for volunteer firefighters.
The annual budget impact is expected to be minimal. Georgian Bluffs staff estimate the added costs at around $3,000 annually based on 2019 fire calls, but note the exact financial impact is difficult to determine as volunteer firefighters are paid wages based on calls.
In 2019, the payroll cost for Inter-Township Fire Department volunteer firefighters was about $251,000. That includes all wages related to training, on-call and occurrences.
The Inter-Township Fire Department is jointly-owned by Georgian Bluffs and Meaford.
