By Chris Hepp
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s firefighters have been awarded a new four-year contract that increases salaries by 9.25 percent over the life of the agreement.
The new contract with member of Firefighters and Paramedics Union Local 22 was reached through arbitration and will cost the city about $70 million, according to Mayor Nutter.
The contract permits union members with five or more years of experience to live outside the city, a provision that was included in the last contract with the city’s police officers.
The contract also provides changes in the union’s health care fund to allow it to be fully insured by the city, which will result in significant savings, according to Nutter and the union.
The contract is retroactive to July 1, 2013, when the union’s last labor agreement expired. It will run until June 30, 2017.
©2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer